


American Heroes

by capsheadquaters



Series: American Heroes [1]
Category: Avengers (Comics), Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-20
Updated: 2020-02-20
Packaged: 2021-02-27 19:53:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 19
Words: 22,368
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22821292
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/capsheadquaters/pseuds/capsheadquaters
Summary: He knows of her. He’s heard stories of the other American hero. The one who put her life on the line for others, fighting for those who cannot fight for themselves. She knows of him, her equal, the original super soldier, the man with a heart of gold who doesn’t like bullies. The man out of time. The woman out of the time. The two American heroes frozen in time reunited.Warnings: Angst, Death, PTSD Flashbacks, Love/Hate Relationship, Secret Identities, One-Sided Relationship, Nsfw-ishThere will be two timelines with two different point of views! The 1940′S will be from Lady’s view and the 2012′s will be from Steve’s view.
Relationships: Captain America & Reder, Captain America x Lady America (oc), Captain America x Reader, Captain America/Reader, Steve Rogers & Reader, Steve Rogers x Reader, Steve Rogers/Reader
Series: American Heroes [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1640590
Kudos: 4





	1. 1940's Part One

I looked up from my papers when I heard the tent flap open, and I stood up, saluting him. He nodded, moving to the seat across from my desk.  
“Major Y/L/N.”  
We sat down, and I moved the papers I was working on to the side.  
“General Ballard, what can I do for you sir?”  
He placed a folder on the desk, sliding it over to me. The seal had never been broken and the top of it read OPERATION AMERICA. I looked up at him, seeing a faint smile on his face.  
“What is this?”  
“Break the seal when your alone. Read it’s contents and find me when you have your decision.”  
“My decision sir?”  
He nodded, looking grim as he spoke.  
“Yes Major, your decision. You see, the contents of the file are, how do you say this, they are not one of normal contents. What is in there is something that’s never been done before so it is a decision.”  
“And if I say no?”  
“We will still bring you on because once you see the contents of that folder, you will be brought into a top secret operation. You were veted which is why I hope you say yes. But don’t let that be the reason you say yes.”  
“Sir?”  
He stood up, and I stood up as well, reaching out and shaking his outstretched hand.  
“Major.”  
“General.”  
“Now remember, open the folder when you are alone, no one else can see, or is permitted to see the contents of that folder.”  
“Yes sir.”  
He nodded, turning to leave when he turned.  
“And Major?”  
“Yes sir?”  
“Get back to work.”  
I laughed, shaking my head.  
“Yes sir.”  
He left the tent, and I sighed, leaning back in the chair as I held the folder up. The words OPERATION AMERICA stood out in bold and I couldn’t help but wonder if it had something to do with Operation Rebirth. Operation Rebirth was all the talk within the major heads of the Army. Lower levels had stories about it, but they were just that stories. By time I was done with the paperwork, it was dark out. I tucked the file under my arm, walking out of the tent. Each soldier I passed saluted me, and I nodded at them telling them they needed to get some sleep. Once I was in my tent, I sat on my bed, grabbing the paper cutter I had sitting on the small desk, pushing it through the small slit and pulling it back. I placed it on the bed, and opened the folder. Staring at me was a picture of a small, sickly man wearing army tags and then beside it was the same guy but bigger, and underneath it said OPERATION REBIRTH. Breathing out a quiet and drawn out “Ho-l-y shit.” I flipped the pictures up, seeing the foundations of Operation Rebirth. How they did it, what was used, and how it came about. Behind that sheet, was the planning for Operation America. They already had a man, now they wanted a woman. Steven Grant Rogers had became the face of the war. They wanted someone behind the scenes, taking down the enemies he couldn’t. I snorted, flipping through more of the pages. Of course they would come to me, I was the first woman to join the Army without hiding that I was really a woman, and I had worked hard and earned the rank of Major. It would make sense they would come to me, not only did I have military knowledge, but I knew how to command troops and held the respect needed for it. The General was smart telling me to open this alone, with Operation Rebirth placed in the folder along with Operation America, if anyone got ahold of the file and gave it to the enemy, we would lose the war, America would lose the war. I put the files back in the folder, placing the paper cutter back on the desk as I stood up. I walked out of my tent and followed the dirt path to the General’s tent. I saw the light flickering and I stopped outside the tent.  
“General Ballard, it’s Major Y/L/N.”  
“Come in Major.”  
I opened the tent flap, entering the tent and closing the flap. The General was sitting at his desk, and he turned to face me.  
“What can I do for you Major?”  
I held the folder out, placing it on his desk.  
“I’ve made a decision.”  
“So soon?”  
I nodded, sliding the folder over to him.  
“America needs a soldier, a soldier who can lead, follow, serve and fight. Grant can not do those things, he’s not a soldier, he was however being trained to be a soldier but he never would’ve been picked if it wasn’t for Rebirth. You know it, I know it and Colonel Phillips knows it. I’m sure he tried to fight it. When Dr. Erkisine died, so did the formula but he left some here on this base with you all because Operation Rebirth was the guinea pig. It was to test to make sure the person would survive. He did and now you all are ready to move on to the next phase, Operation America. Having a female take the serum is risky, bold even but you didn’t pick just any female, you picked a Major, one with military knowledge and one who can command soldiers. You said you veted me, you lied General. You and your team made a smart, strategic decision to have me take the serum.”  
“And you are saying yes because of all that? Because Major I have to tell you, Dr. Erkisine was the one who picked “Grant” as you call him. He saw a good guy, a good man. He also picked you, the first woman to join the arm, work her way up the ranks and became a high ranking officer. Yes, the fact that you are a Major helps but the Doctor believes you are a good person. The serum will only work the right way if you are a good person on the inside. Your intentions need to be pure Major, are they pure?”  
“Sir, I-”  
“Major I understand. You are a smart, strategic young woman, it was only natural for you to believe that all of this was for military gain only, but it wasn’t, it isn’t. So Major I need to know, are your intentions pure?”  
“General you’ve seen me fight, and lead. I served under you, I still do but I also serve beside you now, I have worked my ass off to stand here in this uniform, the title is just a bonus, honestly. I can lie to you and say yes, they are pure but sir, I am a soldier. I choose to serve America, I choose to serve the President. So I can tell you they are pure but sir, that would be a lie.”  
He smiled, shaking his head as he stood.  
“Major, the fact that you could say that, means they are pure. We’ll be leaving in the morning to go to the location of Operation America.”  
“Sir?”  
“Your in Major. Your the next Lady America.”  
I stood still, before I shook my head, scoffing.  
“We need to work on that name, because it's degrading sir.”  
“Go rest Major. You’ll need your strength for tomorrow.”  
“Yes sir.”  
I walked out of his tent, closing the flap as I did, making my way back to my tent. I laid down on my bed, thinking about the Operation before my eyes closed.


	2. 2012 Part One

Memories from the forties flashed before my eyes with each punch before the bag broke off the bar, flying backwards and busting. I groaned, moving to the wall to grab another bag when I heard the door open. I looked up seeing Fury walking in, a manilla folder in his hands. He leaned against the pole, watching me.

“Trouble sleeping?”   
I turned to spare him a look, huffing as I did.

“I slept for 70 years, Sir. I think I've had my fill.” 

“Then you should be out, celebrating, seeing the world.”

I stopped hitting the bag, moving to sit on the bench as I started to unwarp my hands.

“I went under, the world was at war, I wake up, they say we won. They didn't say what we lost.” “We've made some mistakes along the way. Some very recently.”

I looked up at him, eyeing the folder.   
“You here with a mission, sir?”

He nodded, moving towards me.   
“I am.”

“Trying to get me back in the world?”

“Trying to save it.”   
He placed the folder on the bench and I opened it, seeing a picture of the cube. 

“Hydra's secret weapon.” 

“Howard Stark fished that out of the ocean when he was looking for you. He thought what we think, the Tesseract could be the key to unlimited sustainable energy. That's something the world sorely needs.”

I looked up at him, placing the wrap on the bench.   
“Who took it from you?” 

‘He's called Loki. He's not from around here. There's a lot we'll have to bring you up to speed on if you're in. The world has gotten even stranger than you already know.” 

“At this point, I doubt anything would surprise me.”

I stood, grabbing my duffel bag and placing a punching bag on my shoulder. I walked passed Fury, hearing him shuffling around. 

“Ten bucks says you're wrong. There's a debriefing package waiting for you back at your apartment. Is there anything you can tell us about the Tesseract that we ought to know now?”    
I stopped to open the door, turning my head to face him.   
“You should have left it in the ocean.”

I left the gym, hearing the door open.

“Oh and Captain?”   
“Yes sir?”   
“Lady says hello.”   
I stopped walking, turning to face him.   
“Lady America is dead.”   
He shrugged, and I glared at him before I turned, leaving to go to the apartment I was staying at. Once I was there I looked for the files I was given on my friends, shuffling through them until I found hers. Her picture was attached to the left side of the folder, she was smiling and in her uniform but over it said DECEASED in red letters. Information on when she died was under the picture, and then on the right side it was filled with things she had did with the Howling Commandos. Why would Fury say Lady says hello when the file says she’s dead. I shook my head, closing the file as I moved towards the debriefing packet. I stayed up all night, reading the packet before a car pulled up outside and a knock came at the door a SHIELD agent standing there. 

“Sir, I’m here to take you to headquarters.”

I nodded, grabbing my jacket as closed the door, following him out and to the car. We arrived at headquarters, and I rolled my eyes at the fact that I was now ten dollars short.

  
  



	3. 1940's Part Two

The car had pulled outside my tent and I rolled my eyes at the dramatics but I said nothing as I excited my tent, placing my hat on. A soldier stood at command, opening the door.

“Major.”   
“At ease soldier.”   
They closed the door once I was seated beside the General who handed me another file.    
“Open it.”   
I rolled my eyes, opening the file. 

“What is this?”   
“Information on your soon to be counterpart should you ever cross paths.”   
I looked up at the General with a confused look on my face.

“I thought that would never happen? He’s the face of the war while I’m the behind the scenes person?”   
He nodded, handing me another file.   
“You are, you will be. But we will need to introduce you to the world so there is a high chance that you both will cross paths, it all depends on what the government leaders decide.”   
“I will not be paraded around.” 

He grinned, shaking his head only a tad.   
“I’m sure you won’t.”   
“But you already knew that, just like you knew I would say yes and tell you my intentions being pure would be a lie.”   
“Which we determined that by saying your intentions were pure when that would be a lie meant that they are pure.”   
“Which is stupid and idiotic.”   
“Says you Major.”   
I looked back down at the first file, flipping through it.   
“This is basically the same things that were in the file you gave me last night.”   
“Which you returned.”   
I looked up at him, shaking my head.   
“Because the contents of that folder should not be left with me, not when it is such a high operation as it is. So I returned it because you have soldiers stationed around your tent, maybe not out in the opened for others to see, but they are there, I see them every day. I know they are there.”   
He cut a side glance at me, watching as I opened the second file.

“Your observant.”   
“Well, it’s not exactly like they are hiding.”   
He said nothing, and for awhile you could only hear me flipping through the file. The second file was about the finer details of the Operation, and the last page required my signature.

“They want to tell my family that I died?”   
“You read the fine print.”   
“You want to tell my family that I died?”   
“It would be for the best.”   
“To tell my family that I’m dead when I’m not? To let an innocent family mourn a fake death? How is that right? Where is the right and the wrong in that situation General? Tell me, would you want your family to believe your dead when your really not dead?”   
“Major I would watch your tone with me.”   
“Sir with all due respect, if you were anyone else I would, but you are Jake Ballard, you are the guy my dad played ball with. You are the guy whose daughter married my brother. You are the guy who is practically my uncle so with all due respect sir, fuck you, sir.”   
“Y/N-”   
“No Jake! They are my family! They are your family! And you want to tell them that their little girl is dead? You want the world to know that the first female to join the army and to become a Major is dead? Because I can assure you General that they would find out because I was a big deal when I joined, and an even bigger deal when I became Major so why would you want to tell my family, your family and the world that I am dead? Especially when the chances of me being paraded around before I go back to doing my work where they will undoubtedly recognize me/ So why Jake, why would you tell them I am dead?”   
He shook his dead, snatching the folders from my hands.   
“You can wait until you speak with the government leaders for any questions you may have. And Major?”   
“Yes sir?”   
“Remember that I am your commanding officer, I rank higher than you, I am your boss.”   
I rolled my eyes, turned to look out the window.

“Yes sir.”   
I noticed that we had driven past the city, and were heading towards the airport.

“Where are we going?”   
“We’re going to a private base located in New York.”   
“Why?”   
“Why what?”   
“Why New York?”   
“It has the biggest power grid or something. You’ll have to ask the lead engineer on the Operation. He’ll be flying with us to New York.”   
“Great.”   
We pulled up to the airport and the soldiers opened the doors for us. I looked around, seeing that the lead engineer was nowhere in sight.   
“So where is he?”   
“He’ll be here. He just likes to make a big entrance.”   
“Great a show boat.”   
“Did I hear my name?”   
I looked up seeing a man with sunglasses standing in front of me with a grin on his face.

“And you are?”   
“Howard Stark. You’re cute.”   
“I will punch you.”   
He grinned, shaking his head.   
“And feisty. I’m assuming you’re to be Lady America?”   
“I am.”

“Good. We need someone with some balls.”   
I laughed, shaking my head.   
“Well, come now dear you know my name, what’s your?”   
“Again, I will punch you and mess up your pretty little face.”   
“You wouldn’t be the first. Name?”   
“Major Y/N Y/L/N.”   
He shook my hand, grinning.   
“This is going to be so much fun.”   
  
“Howard, Major, we need be going, now.”   
I nodded, following the General up the stairs with Howard and two more soldiers behind us. I sat down near the window, turning when Howard sat down beside me.

“This is going to be a long flight sweetheart. I think we need to get to know each other don’t you?”   
“I think I’m going to end up punching you before we get to New York Mr. Stark.”   
“She will do it Howard. She’s punched people for less.”   
“I’m sure she has General. But it’ll be worth it, or how it’ll be worth it.”   
I rolled my eyes, watching as the ground became farther away and everything became smaller, tuning out Howard.    



	4. 2012 Part Two

I was taken to the hangar where an agent introduced himself as Agent Coulson. We boarded the quinjet, the pilot introducing himself as Agent Fielding. Agent Coulson stood between the pilot and copilot seats, conversing with Agent Fielding as I sat in one of the seats that lined the side of the jet.   
“We are a forty-minute from the base, sir.”  
I looked up from the file I had, looking at Agent Coulson.   
“So this Dr. Banner was trying to replicate the serum that was used on me and Lady America?”  
He turned to face me, leaning against the copilot chair.  
“A lot of people were. You were the world's first superheroes. Banner thought gamma radiation might hold the key to unlocking Erskine's original formula.”  
“Didn't really go his way, did it?”   
He shook his head, grimacing a little.  
“Not so much. When he's got that thing though, guy's like a Stephen Hawking. He's like a smart person, super smart.  
A silence filled the jet before he spoke again.  
“We've, uh, made some modifications to the uniform. I had a little design input.”   
I looked up at Agent Coulson, looking at him in confusion.  
“The uniform? Aren't the stars and stripes a little...old fashioned?”   
He nodded, smiling grimmly.  
“Everything that's happening, the things that are about to come to light, people might just need a little old fashioned.”  
I hummed, thinking back to what Fury said about Lady.  
“Can I ask you a question Agent Coulson?”  
His eyes shined like a kid on christmas morning, and he smiled nodding his head.  
“Oh course Captain.”  
“Director Fury said something to me when he came over to tell me about this, or ask me about it and I figured you might know something about it.”  
He nodded, standing taller.  
“There is a chance I might know something, there is also a chance it may be classified.”  
I nodded, thinking it over.  
“I understand. Fury had said that “Lady says hello” and I was just wondering if that was a mistake because I received a file on my friends from the forties, and Lady’s was one of those files and her file said she was deceased. Did he mispeak when he said that or did he mean it?”  
“Captain I’m not at liberty to say but know that the Director never mispeaks.”  
I nodded looking down at my hands.  
“So you’re saying she’s alive.”  
“I’m saying that the Director never mispeaks.”  
“Right, you said that.”  
“Agent Coulson, Captain we’re landing .”  
“Thank you Agent Fielding.”  
The landing was bumpy, and I stood, following Agent Coulson down the ramp and onto what I was told was the helicarrier.


	5. 1940's Part Three

When the plane landed, I followed behind the General, tuning out Howard. For the entire plane ride, he had talked and talked and talked. And now that we had landed, he was still talking. I had lost count of how many times I had threatened to punch him on the plane.   
“Major Y/L/N.”  
I looked up, seeing the General standing beside a man I didn’t know.  
“Major Y/L/N this is Senator Brandt.”  
I shook his hand, smiling up at him.  
“Hello Senator.”  
“Major please, no need for such formalities. You can call me Brandt.”  
I let his hand go, seeing Howard come to a stop beside me.  
“Senator Brandt, may I ask what you are doing here?”  
“The Senator is here because he was there for the succession of Captain America receiving the serum. He just wants to make sure his money is well spent. Isn’t that right Brandt?”  
“Sure Mr. Stark, whatever you say.”  
Howard laughed, slapping the Senator on the shoulder. He tensed, but shook it off once Howard turned his attention back towards me, holding his arm out for me. I rolled my eyes, but I looped my arm through his.  
“It was a pleasure meeting you Senator Brandt.”  
“The pleasure was all mine, I can assure you Major.”  
Howard pulled me alongside him, and we walked inside the base and once we were inside, I saw a weird tube like chamber with wires coming out of it in the middle of the room. There were a lot of people messing around, and I leaned in towards Howard, whispering.  
“What’s that?”  
“That my dear, is the vita-ray chamber, just one of the processes to administering the serum.”  
“Right. Howard?”  
“Yes dear?”  
“Where are we going?”  
“To meet a friend of mine, you’ll like her. She threatens to punch me quite a lot too.”  
I hummed, walking up the stairs with Howard. He took me to a room where people were, important looking people were standing over a table. Howard cleared his throat, catching everyone's attention as they turned.  
“We need the room.”  
No one moved, and Howard hummed, and a woman whose hair was curled and pinned up smirked.  
“Please.”  
No one moved again, and the woman stepped forward, clearing her throat.  
“Give us the room, now.”  
Everyone left, and once the last person left, Howard stepped forward, pulling me along with him.  
“Peggy love, this is Major Y/N Y/L/N, she’ll be Lady America.”  
She stepped forward, giving Howard a quick hug before she shook my hand.  
“Have you threatened to punch him yet?”  
I grinned, nodding my head.  
“I’ve lost count of how many times. He never knows when to quiet does he?”  
She laughed, shaking her head.  
“No he does not. No matter how many times you say it he still does it.”  
Howard grinned, shaking his head.  
“You girls wound me, truly.”  
I turned my head towards Howard, smiling up at him.  
“Howard can we have a moment?”  
“Do I have to?”  
“Please?”  
“Fine but not for long, the other politicians and army heads will be showing up soon and they will want to meet you.”  
“Alright, but not to long.”  
He pointed his finger at us both, and I laughed shaking my head as I pushed him towards the door.  
“Go Howard.”  
He mumbled something, shaking his head as he left the room. I turned back towards Ms. Carter, smiling at her.  
“Major Y/L/N is something wrong?”  
I shook my head, smiling.  
“Y/N, please and no there is nothing wrong.”  
“Are you sure dear? You’re as white as a ghost.”  
I moved to the chair that was at the table Ms. Carter and the others were standing over. Ms. Carter tensed, but I didn’t bother to look at the table which seemed to put her at ease.  
“Ms. Carter may I ask you a question without it being reported to General Ballard or Senator Brandt?”  
She nodded, walking towards me, her heels clicking against the floor. She leaned against the table beside me, looking down at me.  
“Of course you can dear, you can tell me anything, and ask me anything.”  
I nodded, wringing my hands together.  
“You’re the first woman I’ve seen here since I arrived Ms. Carter. There could be more, but Howard was intent on bringing me here to meet you so I didn’t really get to see much.”  
She smiled gently and I knew I was rambling.  
“I don’t know you but I saw your name in the file I was given on Operation Rebirth. You helped pick the soldier for the operation right?”  
She nodded, smiling.  
“I did.”  
“General Ballard said my intentions needed to be pure in order for the serum to work. I told him I could tell him they are pure but that that would be a lie and he said that by saying that means they are pure. You picked Captain America, you helped pick him with Dr. Erkisine. I need to know, no that’s wrong I would like to know if I’m going to be the right person to be Lady America. Politically,strategically I am the right choice. I can lead, I can strategize, I can follow orders, the other guy, he was only allowed to join the army because Dr. Erkisine saw potential, a good man. Dr. Erkisine didn’t pick me, I was picked because politically and strategically I am the perfect pick. They gave me the choice to say no but they told me that I would still be on the team because they need me. Did you know that I’m supposed to be a General? But because of optics and the fact that they don’t want to give a woman that much power. They want to placate me by making my ‘Lady America’. General Y/L/N sounds better than Major.”  
She grinned, reaching down to grab my hand. She squeezed it, moving so she was standing in front of me.  
“It is a shame that you are not here as General Y/L/N, because you are right, it does sound better than Major Y/L/N. And while Dr. Erkisine did not choose you to be ‘Lady America’, he would have. I met him and believe me when I tell you he would have picked you. He wouldn’t have picked you because you a Major or because you can lead or because it is strategically best and while those things are best, he would have picked you for your heart. You care, you care a lot. You could’ve walked out, said no but you didn’t. You could’ve punched Howard more than once but you didn’t. You have heart Y/N. I can see that and I barely even know you. Believe me when I tell you that you are the right person to be Lady America. And don’t let the General or Senator Brandt get to you. Senator Brandt got to him and he broke him down. Don’t let him do that to you. You are made of steel, iron, but you are not cold. You play it like you are but you’re not. You can do amazing things as Lady America. All you need to do is show them.”  
I looked up at her, smiling.  
“Thank you Ms. Carter.  
She shook her head, pulling me up so I was standing in front of her.  
“If I can’t call you Major, you have to call me Peggy.”  
I laughed, nodding my head.   
“Ok, thank you, Peggy.”  
She grinned, pulling me into a hug. I returned it, feeling myself relax for the first time that morning.  
“And don’t worry, there are other women here. They’re just nurses. You and me are the only women here holding a position that a man holds.”  
Before I could respond, there was a knock at the door and I turned, seeing Howard standing there. He stepped in, his hands in his pockets as he looked between us.  
“They’re ready for you now. Are you ready?”  
Peggy placed her hand on my shoulder, giving it a squeeze.  
“She’s ready.”


	6. 2012 Part Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok so there’s a little time skip to where Steve’s already inside the Helicarrier and he’s already met Nat and Bruce.

Looking around, everything was different and fancy. Digging through my pockets, I pulled out my wallet and pulling out a ten. When I passed Director Fury, I handed him the ten and he smirked, placing it in his pocket. I walked to the table that was behind him, taking a seat not feeling the pair of eyes on me as I did. I looked around at everything, watching how everything worked. I looked up seeing Agent Coulson standing over the bridge. I got up, making my way to him. He cut a glance towards me, and I understood now what Agent Romanoff meant when she said that Agent Coulson was swooning.

“I mean, if it’s not too much trouble.”   
I shook my head, crossing my arms over my chest.

“No, no. It’s fine.”   
“You know it’s a vintage set? It took me a couple of years to collect them all. Near mint, slight foxing around the edges but…”   
“We got a hit.”   
We both turned, Agent Coulson walking towards them.   
“Sixty seven percent match. Weight, crossmatch, seventy nine percent.”   
“Location?”   
“Stuttgart, Germany. 28, Canning Strasse. He's not exactly hiding.” 

Director Fury stepped forward, looking at me.   
“Captain, you're up.”   
I nodded, Agent Coulson telling me to follow him. 

Reader’s POV:   
I was leaning against the wall listening to the agent give me the report when I heard a commotion. I looked up, seeing him walking up the middle. He was looking around in awe and I couldn’t help the small smile that took over. 

“Mam?”   
I looked down at the agent, taking the folder from their hands.   
“Thank you agent.”   
“Of course mam. Is there anything else?”   
I shook my head, opening the file.   
“No agent, you can go now.”   
She nodded, turning on her heel and walking down the corridor. I watched as he sat down at the table before he got up and stood beside Phil. I grinned, knowing Phil had at some point talked about his trading cards.    
“We got a hit.”   
I turned, pushing off the wall and walking towards Agent Sitwell. I leaned down, squatting beside him as the face match scanner ran beside the location scanner.   
“Sixty seven percent match. Weight, crossmatch, seventy nine percent.”

Phil spoke, asking for the location. 

“Stuttgart, Germany. 28, Canning Strasse. He’s not exactly hiding.”   
Sitwell handed my the tablet and I took it from him, standing as I took it from him. Nick stepped forward, looking at him.   
“Captain, you’re up.”   
He nodded, and both him and Phil left, walking down the corridor.   
“Are you going with them?”   
I looked up at Nick, shrugging my shoulders.   
“He doesn’t need to see me yet. Besides, I want the big man.”   
Nick grinned, shaking his head as he turned to face the panel.

“And your uniform?”   
“Not needed yet.”   
  


Regular View:

Fury reached up to press his comm on, holding it down until he heard it connect to Coulson’s comm.    
“Coulson you’ll need to hide her uniforms. She doesn’t want him to know just yet.”   
Coulson stopped walking, groaning.

“Seriously? Why not! It’s been years! They knew each other!”   
“She’s made her request Coulson, she doesn’t want him to see her or know that she’s here. So do not let him see her uniforms under any circumstances, understood?”   
Coulson rolled his eyes, but agreed nonetheless. He looked up at the Captain who was patiently waiting by leaning against the wall. He pulled the tablet out from under his arm, and he pressed a few buttons on there, effectively closing the compartments that held her uniforms and opening the compartment that held his.    
“Where are we going?”   
Coulson looked up the Captain smiling.

“We’re going to go get your uniform.”

Steve’s View:   
Flipping out of the jet and landing in front of the elderly man and blocking the blast from Loki.   
“You know, the last time I was in Germany and saw a man standing above everybody else, we ended up disagreeing.”   
I stood, eyeing Loki.   
“You know, the last time I was in Germany, and saw a man standing above everybody else, we ended up disagreeing.”   
Loki smirked, holding his scepter out.   
“The soldier. The man out of time.”

“I'm not the one who's out of time.”

I heard the jet move behind me, the guns cocking as they targeted Loki.    
“Loki, drop the weapon and stand down.”   
Loki grinned, lifting his scepter and firing it at the jet. The jet moved out of the way before Loki shot a blast at me, causing me to duck and roll. Loki continued to blast me, and I threw my shield at him, running at him and throwing a punch at him. 

“Kneel.”   
“Not today.”   
I had overpowered him before he blasted me, sending me into a statue. I heard Agent Romanoff in the comm they had given me, but I was to focused on the fight.

“The guy’s all over the place.”   
“Agent Romanoff. You miss me?”   
Mr. Stark had landed, sending missiles at Loki which caused him to fall backwards before he stepped forward, his hands raised and all the missiles he had pointed towards Loki.

“Make your move Reindeer Games.”   
I rolled my eyes, moving to stand beside him.

“Mr. Stark.”   
“Captain.”   
The jet landed, and Agent Romanoff came out with a pair of cuffs for Loki. They were placed on his wrists and ankles, his scepter being placed in a box before they were taken to the jet. Loki sat at the tail end of the jet grinning while Agent Romanoff piloted, and me and Mr. Stark were standing behind her, talking.   
“Fury didn’t tell me he was calling you in.”   
“Yeah, there’s a lot of things Fury doesn’t tell you.”   
“What’s that supposed to mean?”   
Before he could answer, Agent Romanoff spoke, causing an end to our conversation.

“Where’s this coming from?”   
It was then I had noticed the thundering rain. It had came out of nowhere, and when I turned to look at Loki he looked scared.

“What’s the matter? Are you scared of a little lightning?’   
“I’m not overly fond of what follows.”   
There was a ‘thunk’ on the top of the jet before the back of it was ripped open, and a guy wearing a red cape came in, grabbing Loki. Mr. Stark put his helmet on, walking towards the end of the jet.

“And now there’s this guy.”   
Agent Romanoff turned, flipping buttons as she did.   
“Another Asgardian?”   
“That guy a friendly?”   
“Doesn’t matter. If he frees Loki or kills him, the tesseracts lost.”   
“Stark, we need a plan of attack.”   
He turned, and I knew he was smirking under his helmet.

“I have a plan, attack.”   
I groaned, moving to grab a parachute. I started to put it on when Agent Romanoff turned in her seat.

“I’d sit this one out Cap.”   
“I don’t see how I can.”   
I moved towards the end of the jet, strapping the final piece of the parachute.   
“These guys come from legend. They’re basically gods.”   
“There’s only one God mam. And I’m pretty sure he doesn’t dress like that.”   
I grabbed my shield before I jumped, the wind pulsing around me. I landed with a harsh thud, and I rolled my shoulders back, preparing myself for the upcoming fight. 

  
  



	7. 1940s Part Four

After my conversation with Peggy, I felt better about becoming Lady America, a lot better. Howard had wanted to escort us both down the stairs but Peggy had told him no, saying that we were independent women and in order to show the men down there that we needed to walk by ourselves, without Howard helping us. Howard had agreed, and we were about to leave when I muttered a soft “wait”. They both turned, and Peggy walked forward, standing in front of me.  
“What’s wrong dear?”  
“They want to tell my family that I died.”  
“What?”  
Howard stepped forward, coming to a stop beside Peggy.  
“Major Ballard gave me contract before we got to the airport, the finner print of it stated that they would tell my family that I died. I asked him why and he just said that it would be for the best. They’ll parade me around for a little after and then there’s a chance I’ll meet my counterpart and all.”  
“Wait a second Major, go back. They’re going to tell your family that you died?”  
“Yeah but I didn’t sign it. Although they’ll more than likely go behind my back and tell them anyway, at least they’ll find a way somehow at least.”  
“We won’t let them. They’re your family Y/N, they deserve to know you’re alive.”  
“So is Jake.”  
“Who?”  
Peggy turned towards Howard, hitting his arm.  
“The General.”  
“Which one there’s so many.”  
“General Ballard. Right Y/N?”  
I nodded, looking up at them both.  
“Yeah. He lived next to us for years and then his daughter married my brother. He’s practically my uncle. When I joined the army he was my commanding officer. He helped me become a Major. So he is my family.”  
“We will handle it Y/N, I promise.”  
Howard nodded, grabbing my hand and squeezing it.  
“We won’t let them tell your family that your dead, legally they can’t do that. I have all the best lawyers, I’ll make sure they don’t tell them anything without your consent.”   
“Thank you.”  
“Of course, now let’s go make you Lady America.”  
I nodded, and Howard grinned, taking my hand and pulling me up. Howard gave me a hug, pulling Peggy into it.   
“Alright, alright, we need to be going.”  
I laughed as Peggy pushed Howard off, and we followed him out of the room with Howard walking down the stairs first with me and Peggy walking side by side behind him. Howard waited for us at the end of the stairs, and held his arms out for us to take. Peggy grinned, looping her arm with his. Howard waited for me, and I rolled my eyes, looping my arm with his. He escorted us around the room and towards Senator Brandt and General Ballard who introduced us to other politicians and Generals while Howard made fun of some of them. Once the introductions were done, a nurse came and handed me a pair of sweats and a white t-shirt. She lead me to a small private room and told me I could change in there. I changed, undoing my hair once I was done. I walked out of the room, Howard walking over and leading me to a table.  
‘What’s this?”  
“We’ll administer penicillin here and then we’ll place you in the vita-ray chamber to administer the serum and what not.”  
“Right.”  
He helped me onto the table, and I leaned back as Howard placed the straps on my wrists.  
“Seriously?”  
“It’s standard procedure.”  
“Sure.”  
Howard squeezed my shoulder before he walked away, leaving my line of sight. Once the penicillin had been administered, a nurse came and helped me off the table and over to the vita-ray chamber. I laid back, watching as the door was closed. I heard Howard yelling at the crew and nurses but I couldn’t really hear what was being said. There were a few knocks before I heard Howards voice.   
“Y/N how are you doing?”  
“I’m ok.”  
“Alright, we’re about to start. If anything goes wrong, we’ll stop immediately, ok?”  
“Ok.”  
I was pretty sure he had walked away before I heard a far away countdown, and then an intense pain as little needles pierced my skin and a cold feeling surrounded me. I was to focused on the pain that I didn’t realize I had started to scream.  
“Stop! Shut it down! Shut it down now!”  
“Howard! Get her out of there!”


	8. 1940's Part Five

General View:  
Howard ran towards the chamber, yelling for Y/N but she didn't reply. He turned towards one of the workers, motioning towards him to help open the chamber.  
“No, wait!”  
“Y/N?”  
“I can do it! I’m ok!”  
Howard shrugged, turning to look at Peggy who had her arms crossed over her chest.  
“Just like him, I swear.”  
Howard grinned, rushing back over to the control panel and pushing some buttons. Y/N’s screaming had stopped when they reached seventy percent, and once they were at one hundred, Howard walked over, opening the chamber.  
“Y/N?”  
She was leaned back, her head turned to the side with her eyes closed, her chest heaving.  
“Major?”  
Her eyes slowly flittered opened, and she turned, her eyes landing on Howard.  
“Holy shit.”  
Howard laughed, stepping forward to help her out of the chamber. She had an arm wrapped around his shoulders and some nurse, and she turned towards Howard, huffing as they moved away from the chamber.  
“Lets not do that again, yeah?”  
Howard laughed, shaking his head.  
“That’s fine. We need to check you over, make sure everything is ok and that it actually worked and everything.”  
“It worked, believe me.”  
Peggy walked over, taking over for the nurse who looked like she was about to pass out. She wrapped Y/N’s arm around her shoulders, and she could tell why the nurse was having trouble supporting her weight, while earlier Y/N was practically weightless, now she felt like a ton of bricks.  
“How do you know?”   
Y/N turned, wincing as she looked down at Peggy.  
“Because I can hear each individual turn of the gears in the equipment and what the reporters are murmuring very clearly.”  
Peggy looked at Howard with her eyebrows raised, and howard shrugged.  
“Super hearing, who knew? He doesn’t have that does he?”  
Y/N winced again, turning her head away from Howard and looking at the floor.  
“Not so loud, please.”  
“Let’s get her to a quiet room, we can do the exam in there.”  
Howard nodded, and the nurses cleared a path a Howard and Peggy practically carried Y/N to the room. They laid her on the makeshift bed, and Howard left to stop the Generals from coming into the room, while Peggy stayed with Y/N.  
“How do you feel?”  
“Taller.”  
Peggy snorted, shaking her head.  
“What?”  
“Nothing, don’t worry about it.”   
She shook her, patting her on the arm. Y/N had one arm thrown across her eyes, and Peggy could tell every time she spoke it bothered her.  
“You stay here, I’m going to see if Howard has anything that can help with your hearing.”  
Y/N nodded, and Peggy squeezed her hand before she left the room, turning the lights off on her way out.


	9. 1940's Part Six

“Y/N? Y/N, wake up.”  
I groaned as I came to, lifting my arm off my face and turning to see Howard sitting beside me on the bed and Peggy sitting in the chair she was sitting in earlier.  
“Yeah?”  
He held up a small circle that was no bigger than the tip of his finger.  
“What is that?”  
“It’s a hearing inhibitor that will lower the frequency you hear to that of which you heard before. May I?”  
I nodded, and with their help I sat up. I moved my hair to the side and Howard leaned forward, placing the chip in the ear canal. All of a sudden the loud buzzing had stopped, and then I heard a loud piercing sound. I jumped, my face morphing into that of shock and pain.  
“Howard take it out, it’s hurting her.”  
Howard was quick to take it out, and I rubbed my head, looking between the two.  
“I think it still needs some work.”  
I smirked, causing Howard to grin.  
“Well I only had an hour to make it so there are still some kinks to work out.”  
“I was only out for an hour? It felt longer.”  
Howard nodded, placing the chip in a small clear container.  
“Well you were practically a rock when we checked on you so it was easy to do the exam.”  
“So everything’s good?”  
Peggy nodded, standing from her chair.  
“Everything’s good. You are now Lady America. And, there are people who want to meet you.”  
“Great, I guess I can’t get out of it any longer can I?”  
Peggy shook her head, smiling.  
“Afraid not.”  
Howard stood, walking to the corner and coming back with what looked like a costume.  
“I created this after I was given the details for the operation. It’s yours if you want it, and once all this is done if you have an design input we can get together.”  
I smiled, running my hand over the fabric.  
“Thank you Howard, it's beautiful.”  
“Try it on and when your done, meet us outside, the generals want to meet you.”  
“Yay.”


	10. 1940's Part Seven

I ran my hand over the fabric of the outfit, feeling the smoothness of the material underneath my fingers. I slipped the shirt I was wearing off, pulling the top of the outfit Howard had designed on. I smoothed it down, changing out of the sweatpants and pulling on the navy blue pants. I looked down at myself, feeling oddly powerful. I sat back down on the bed, pulling the dark brown boots on, tying them up. I grabbed the gloves, pulling them on and securing them. The gloves were fingerless, giving me space so I wasn’t entirely constricted. I folded the t-shirt and sweatpants, laying them on the edge of the bed. I took a deep breath, collecting myself and calming my nerves before I opened the door, ignoring the sharp piercing sound it left ringing in my ears. As soon as I stepped out of the room, those remaining started to clap.  
“No, no, no! We discussed this, she has super hearing, every sound you make is ten times louder to her! No clapping!”  
Immediately the clapping stopped, and I shot a grateful smile towards Howard who just nodded, returning to his workbench, mumbling to himself as he worked. General Ballard and Senator Brandt came towards me, both shaking my hand.  
“I’m glad to see you alive and well Major. You gave us quite a scare after, we weren’t quite sure what had happened.”   
I nodded, giving the Senator a tight smile.  
“I’m sure. It was a lot to take in with all the noise going on.”  
The Senator nodded, smiling.  
“Yes! You have something the Captain doesn’t which is remarkable! You did outstanding.”  
“Thank you sir.”  
“Major, if you’ll come with me, there are some other people we need you to meet.”  
I nodded, following behind General Ballard. We walked up to the viewing room where there was a group of men huddled together talking amongst themselves. They stopped when General Ballard closed the door, turning to face us. General Ballard cleared his throat, taking a step forward.  
“Gentlemen may I present to you, Lady America.”  
I stepped forward, nodding respectfully to them.   
“Astounding. It actually worked.”  
“How did you manage to create another super soldier without the serum?”  
“Can you create more?”  
“Is she going to be joining Captain America?”  
“Will she follow in his footsteps by selling war bonds?”  
I huffed, rolling my eyes as I crossed my arms over my chest.  
“I am a Major, the first female Major so no, I will not be selling war bonds. I will be on the front lines, helping the troops as I was doing before I became Lady America.”  
“But your a woman.”  
“And a Major, and Lady America. What’s your point?”  
“What man is ever going to listen to a woman? Because I don’t know many who would.”  
“Lieutenant Johnson, Sergeant Abraham, Captain Kniell, Lieutenant Jones, Lieutenant Rocksan, Sergeant Bennet, Captain O’Nelly, they are only a few men of my platoon and they have no problem listening to me. Why should anyone else be any different?”  
The man huffed, writing down on his notepad. Of course all these men are reporters.  
“The Captain wasn’t taken too so kindly with the troops, why would you be any different?”  
“I’m a Major. Everyone in the troops know who I am and they know I get the job done. Stop comparing me to Captain America, I’m my own person. I will be on the front lines with the troops, fighting alongside them. I will not be selling war bonds, and as of now, I will not be joining Captain America.”  
I turned on my heel, opening the door and slamming it shut behind me. I could hear General Ballard apologizing for my actions before he was hounded with questions. I laughed, walking down the stairs with a “clang” as I did. Peggy was waiting at the end of the stairs, a small smile on her face.  
“Already showing your anger are we?”  
“They deserved it comparing me to him and asking if I was going to follow in his footsteps. I am not his shadow. We’re two different beings, to even compare us to the other is demining.”  
“Yes it is, but they’re also men. You have to get used to that.”  
“I will not let them tell me I am worth less than what I am.”


	11. 2012 Part Four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok so there’s another time skip because I’m lazy and have no motivation to write the scene between Thor, Tony and Cap, also this is from Steve’s View.

When we landed on the helicarrier, Fury and Coulson was there to greet us, along with a group of armed personnel. They surrounded Loki, and Fury led the way to the containment cell for Loki. I followed Ms. Romanoff inside the helicarrier where Dr. Banner was standing behind a chair at the round table. I sat down, placing my shield beside my chair so it was propped against it. I let out a breath, watching as Howard's son, Tony came in, and started to talk about Fury and his consol. 

*Reader’s View*  
I was leaning against the wall, one leg up flat against the wall as I had my arms crossed over my chest. I looked up when I heard the challter of footsteps, seeing the armed escort surrounding Loki with Fury in the lead. Fury stopped in front of me, looking down at me.  
“Take him to his cell. I’ll be in shortly.”  
“Yes sir.”  
They pushed Loki into walking again, and as he passed me he gave me a look and I could tell from under his mouth guard he was smirking.  
“So I heard Thor made an appearance.”  
“He has. He almost freed Loki.”  
“Good thing he didn’t then.”  
“You know, it could’ve been avoided had you been there. He knows you, and he would’ve listened to you.”  
I scoffed, letting my foot fall to the ground.  
“If that was the case, you should have sent Phil to go with them.”  
He hummed, saying nothing as i pushed off the wall. I started to walk down the hall, intending on finding where they put Loki.  
“Are you going to interrogate him?”  
I turned my head a little, smirking.  
“More like scare him.”  
Fury laughed, and I turned into the room where Loki was being held.

*Steve’s View*  
Fury walked back in, Coulson walking beside him, the two carrying their own conversation as they did. It seemed as though Coulson was both mad and happy at the same time. Fury walked to the head of the table, pressing something and a video popped up of Loki’s containment cell. A female agent walked in, and I could see Tony stand to attention as he looked down at the video. Fury turned the volume up, and everyone including his brother watched. 

*Reader’s View*  
I knew he was probably watching and at first I didn’t care but then for a moment Idid. I stood where the camera could see me, but could not see my face and I knew there were some people who would be mad about that.  
“In case it’s unclear, you try to escape, so much as scratch that glass-”  
I pressed the button on the control panel, grinning a tad as the floor opened beneath the cell.  
“Thirty thousand feet straight down in a steel trap. You understand how that works?”  
I pressed the button and the floor closed as I pointed to Loki.  
“Ant.”  
I gestured to the panel, feeling his eyes on me.  
“Boot.”  
“So there’s another one. How peculiar I did not see you in my visions.”  
“There are many of me Loki. Each one us has one goal, to protect this earth from people like you.”  
He grinned, walking the length of the cage, but he kept his gaze locked onto mine.  
“This is an impressive cage. I believe not built for me.”  
“Built for something a lot stronger than you.”  
“Oh I’ve heard.”  
He let his gaze leave mine for the first time, turning to look at the camera and smirking.  
“A mindless beast-makes play she’s still a woman. How desperate are you, that you call on such lost creatures to aid you?”  
“How desperate am I?  
I stepped forward, the tip of my shoes touching the glass as I stared Loki down.  
“You threaten my world with war, you steal a force you can’t hope to control, you talk peace and you kill because it’s fun. I’ve met people like you. Fought people like you, so you have made me very desperate. You might not be glad you did.”  
Loki grinned, looking down at me with a sparkle in his eye.  
“Oh it burns you to have come so close, to have the tesseract, to have unlimited power, and for what? A warm light for all mankind to share? And then to be reminded what real power is.”  
I grinned nodding.  
“Well let me know if real power wants a magazine or something.”  
I turned on my heel, walking out of the room while Loki laughed. 

*Steve’s View*  
Dr. Banner looked up at everyone, a wisp of a smile on his face.  
“He really grows on you doesn’t he?”  
I sat up straighter, letting my arm drop to the table.  
“Loki’s gonna drag this out. So Thor, what’s his play?”  
Thor turned to face us, his arms crossed over his chest.  
“He has an army called the Chitauri. They’re not of Asgard nor any world known. He means to lead them against your people. They will win him the earth, in return, I suspect, the tesseract.  
I inwardly groaned, letting a small sigh out.  
“An army, from outer space?”  
“So he’s building another portal. That’s what he needs Erik Selvig for.  
Thor turned towards Dr. Banner, standing taller.  
“Selvig?”  
“He’s an astrophysicist.”  
“He’s a friend.”  
“Loki has them under some kind of spell-along with one of ours.”  
“I wanna know why Loki lets us take him. He’s not leading an army from here.”  
Dr. Banner shook his head, looking at me.  
“I don’t think we should be focusing on Loki.”

*Fury’s View*  
Leaving the group of ragtags in the main corridor, I went looking for Y/N. I found her in the room where her and Roger’s uniforms were held, both units lit up as a hologram showed Rogers uniform. Her back was to me, but I knew she knew I was in there with her.  
“Recalling the past?”  
She sighed, her shoulders dropping as I came to a stop beside her.  
“This was never meant to be our lives. We were supposed to fight in the war, take down the Red Skull, help the allies win, die old, but we never did. He was technically dead, and I just never aged. He’s here, and I’m hiding from him.Things used to be so simple, now, now we have literally aliens and gods coming to destroy and defend the earth. How fucked up is that?”  
“I believe the most fucked up about everything you just said is the fact that you even bothered to say “fuck”.”  
She laughed, but I could tell it was strained.   
“You and Rogers, you both gave up your lives. You both fought and sacrificed. You put others before yourselves and you stood up for what was right. The worlds changed, and you’ve been there with it. You once told me that the only rememberance you had from your past was SHIELD itself. Now, your past is here. He’s been here for a year now and you’ve yet to reach out to him.”  
“I’m dead to him. The files we gave him listed me as dead. He believes he’s all alone and it’s my fault. I told you to mark me as deceased because the Lady America he knew, she is dead. I’m not even Lady America anymore, I can’t. I haven’t picked up the shield since the forties. How can I pick it up now when I know I don’t deserve it?”  
“It’s not that you can’t, it’s that you believe that you can’t. I’ve known you since I was just a mediocre agent. I’ve always looked up to you, and to Peggy, and not once did I ever believe that you weren’t worthy of carrying that shield. And hell, if my word ain’t enough for you, we can call Phil in here. You know dam well he’ll say a hell of a lot more than me about how worthy you are to carry the shield.”  
“The shield used to mean something, now, now it’s just a burden.”  
She turned on her heel, her boots clicking against the floor. The door slammed shut behind her, and I stayed there, looking at her suit.  
“Sir, we have a situation in the labs.”  
“I’m on my way.”  
I turned on my heel, stopping at the door. I turned, flipping the switch off. The main lights cut off row after row, the last thing to cut off was their uniform units.   
Lady America is no more.


	12. 2012 Part Five

I was left alone at the table and curiosity got the better of me as I spotted Agent Coulson. I got up from my seat, walking over to where he was standing.  
“Uh- Agent Coulson?”  
He looked up from the file in his hands, offering me a small smile.  
“Yes Captain?”  
“Do you know who the girl, woman I mean, was that was interrogating Loki?”  
He nodded as his smile disappeared.  
“I do and all I can really tell you is that the Director never mispeaks.”  
Another agent came up to us, handing something to Agent Coulson. He looked up at me, giving me a slight grimace of a smile.  
“I’m sorry Captain but I have to handle this.”  
I nodded, stuffing my hands in my pockets.  
“Of course, thank you Agent Coulson.”  
“Anytime Captain.”  
He and the agent left, and I turned on my heel, walking down the corridor where Dr. Banner and Tony had went down earlier. I found their lab rather easily, walking in when Tony stabbed Dr. Banner.  
“Ow!”  
“Hey!”  
I gained Dr. Banner’s attention but Tony paid me no mind.  
“Nothing?”  
I sighed, shaking my head as I steeled my resolve. We don’t have time for childish things.  
“Are you nuts?”  
Tony finally looked at me, and I could see some features of Howard in him.  
“Jury’s out!”  
I rolled my eyes as he turned back to Dr. Banner.  
“You really have got a lid on it haven't you? What's your secret? Mellow jazz, bongo drums, huge bag of weed?”  
“Is everything a joke to you?”  
“Funny things are.”  
“Threatening the safety of everyone on this ship isn’t funny.”  
I turned to look at Dr. Banner, letting go of my harsh tone.  
“No offense Doc.”  
“No, it's alright. I wouldn't have come aboard if I couldn't handle pointy things.”  
“You're tiptoeing big man. You need to strut.”  
“And you need to focus on the problem Mister Stark.”  
He turned to face me, giving me a harsh look.  
“You think I’m not? Why did Furry call us in? Why now, why not before? What isn't he telling us? I can’t do the equation unless I have all the variables.”  
I thought it over, realizing that Fury has been hiding something from me.  
“You think Fury’s hiding something?  
Tony shrugged, looking as though he could care less.  
“He’s a spy. Captain, he’s the spy. His secrets have secrets.”  
Tony turned towards Banner, throwing a hand out to him.  
“It’s bugging him to, isn’t it?”   
“Uh, I just wanna finish my work here and-”  
I could tell he had something to say but was afraid to say it and in honestly, I just want to find what is going on on this ship.  
“Doctor?”  
“A warm light for all mankind," Loki’s jab at the agent about the Cube.”  
I nodded, recalling Loki’s smirk as he said it.   
“I heard it.”  
Dr. Banner pushed his glasses up, looking at me.   
“Well, I think that was meant for you.”  
He gestures to Stark, who offers him a blueberry like he just won a game or something/  
“Even if Barton didn’t tell Loki about the tower, it was still all over the news.”  
I made a face, remembering the building across from the small cafe I had found.  
“The Stark Tower? That big ugly-”  
Tony gave me a look and I sighed, stopping myself.  
“-building in New York?”  
Dr. Banner nodded,  
“t’s powered by an arc reactor, self-sustaining energy source. That building will run itself for, what, a year?”  
He turned to face Tony who shrugged.   
“It’s just the prototype.”  
Tony turned to face me, reminding me of Howard.  
“I’m kind of the only name in clean energy right now, that’s what he’s getting at.”  
Dr. Banner picked up on the end of the conversation, and I could tell he was curious as well.  
“So, why didn’t SHIELD bring him in on the Tesseract project? What are they even doing in the energy business in the first place?”  
Tony pushed off the desk he was sitting on, walking over to the panel.  
“I should probably look into that as soon as my decryption program finishes breaking into all of SHIELD’s secure files.”  
I stopped thinking, giving Tony a hard look.  
“I’m sorry did you say”  
“JARVIS has been running it since I hit the bridge. In a few hours I’ll know every dirty secret SHIELD has ever tried to hide. Blueberry?”  
Tony held the bag of blueberries towards me, and I ignored the offer.  
“Yet you’re confused about why they didn’t want you around.”  
Tony made a face, popping another blueberry in his mouth.  
“An intelligence organization that fears intelligence? Historically, not awesome.”  
“I think Loki’s trying to wind us up. This is a man who means to start a war and if we don’t stay focused he’ll succeed. We have orders, we should follow them.”  
“Following’s not really my style.”  
I grinned a little, looking at Tony  
“And you’re all about style, aren’t you?”  
“Out of the people in this room, which one is "A" wearing a spangly outfit and "B" not of use?”  
Dr. Banner looked up at my almost sheepishly.  
“Steve, tell me none of this smells a little funky to you?”  
I sighed, looking at them both.  
“Just find the Cube.”  
I left the room, walking down the hall with the intention to find what Fury is hiding, regarding me and this whole shebang.  
“That’s the guy my dad never shut up about? Wondering if they shouldn’t have kept him on ice.”


	13. Extended Cut

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *😈Laughs maniacally because this is neither a 1940’s chapter or a 2012 chapter and it will hopefully leave you wanting more, and yes, I purposely use them and their AND America😈*

“I just-I could have done something. I could have done more.”  
“America- there was nothing to be done. It was their decision. Without their sacrifice, the world as we know it would be no more.”  
“The last thing they heard me say was something hateful. For as long as we have lived, we have loved each other and the last thing I said to them was something I should have never said.”  
Reaching out, a hand came to rest on their shoulder to offer some comfort.   
“You have to know, they loved you. Even if you said something hateful, they knew you didn't mean it. You have to understand that.”  
Looking up, teary eyed, their face was red with streaks of tears.  
“How can you say that? You weren't there, none of you were. You didn't watch their eyes gloss over when they realised that this was it. You didn't see the light leave their eyes as they took their last breath. You didn’t see it, you didn’t see any of it.”  
The hand dropped, a tired sigh escaping their lips.   
“I know. I know I wasn’t there, I’m sure you blame me for that. There were plenty of powered individuals, groups of supers who could have been by y’alls side. Anyone of us could’ve prevented what happened, but we didn’t. But I know you blame me because I was their friend, I should have been by their side, by yours.”  
Shaking their head, they let out a sigh.  
“I can’t blame you, not when I’m blaming myself. They were just feet away from me and I just stood there. I watched, I didn’t move, I didn’t even call for help. What happened to them, it’s on me.”  
“No, America it’s not. What happened to them, that’s on all of us.”


	14. 2012 Part Six

*Reader’s View*  
I was aimlessly walking around when I heard people yelling. I quickened my pace, seeing it was the group Fury had brought in. I sighed, shaking my head. I could make out a few pieces of what was being said, and it was stupid.   
“Yeah, big man in a suit of armor. Take that off, what are you?”  
I rolled my eyes, stepping into the lab.  
“He’s a genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist.”  
Everyone turned to look at me, and I could tell Tony and Fury were surprised to see me, as well as Nat.  
“Yeah, well I know guys with none of that worth ten of him. I’ve seen the footage. They only thing-”  
He turned back towards Tony, stepping closer to him and I took a step forward only for Fury to shake his head at me.  
“-you really fight for is yourself. You’re not the guy to make the sacrifice play, to lay down on a wire and let the other guy crawl over you.”  
“I think I would just cut the wire.”  
Steve grinned, shaking his head as a soft chuckle escaped his lips.  
“Always a way out. You know, you may no be a threat, but you better stop pretending to be a hero.”  
“A hero like you? You’re a laboratory experiment, Rogers. Everything special about you come out of a bottle.”  
Steve smirked, and I could tell he was planning on doing something stupid.  
“Put on the suit, let’s go a few rounds.”  
Thor laughed, crossing his arms over his chest.  
“You people are so petty, and tiny. I know of one person here who is mighty, and she is-”  
“Thor-”  
I cut him off, and he turned to look at me and I could feel the others staring.  
“Now is not the time.”  
He nodded, turning back towards the others.  
“Yeah, this is a team.”  
All of a sudden everyone started yelling again, and I had to close my eyes and place my hands over my ears to block them. I could still pick up what they were saying, only it wasn’t as loud.  
“You’re not going alone!”  
I opened my eyes to see Steve had grabbed onto Tony’s arm, causing Tony to face him.  
“You gonna stop me?”  
“Put on the suit, let’s find out!”  
“I’m not afraid to hit an old man.”  
True, he’s not. I’ve seen him do worse.  
“Put on the suit.”  
Dr. Banner turned to look at the monitor, and I could tell he saw something by the expression he wore.  
“Oh-my-god.”  
It rushed and panic filled, and I went to move closer to see what he was looking at when there was an explosion, making everyone fly in different directions. Nat and Dr. Banner were thrown out of the lab and to the lower levels while Tony and Steve were thrown to the door. Fury and Thor had fell behind a table and I was somehow hanging onto the ledge.   
“Agent are you ok?”  
I pulled myself up, landing on the floor with a loud “thud”. Fury walked over, giving me a hand. He pulled me up even though I didn’t need it as the others got up.  
“Put on the suit.”  
Tony nodded, shaking his head.  
“Yup.”  
Steve moved Tony out of the lab, and Fury turned towards me.  
“And what about you? Are you going to suit up?”  
I shook my head, running towards the exit.  
“Like I said earlier, Lady America is dead.”  
I took off running down the hall, ignoring what Fury was saying.

*There’s a bit of a time jump, so to recap- Steve and Tony are trying to fix one engine, Nat managed to escape the Hulk and take down Clint and Loki has gotten away- And this will not be from steve’s view*

I had saw Loki stab Phil, and I held my scream in, until Loki had left. A broken sob escaped my mouth as I ran to Phil’s side, I slide onto the floor beside him, reaching out and applying pressure to his wound.  
“Phil is hit! I repeat Phil is hit!”  
“What is your location?”  
“Loki’s cell!”  
“Medical is on their way.”  
“Make them hurry the hell up!”  
“Y/N, Y/N your crying.”  
I didn’t even realise I was crying, though that would explain why everything was blurry. I reached up, wiping the tears.  
“Shut up Phil. You need to save your breath.”  
“I’m sorry, they got rabbited.”  
“Just stay awake. Keep your eyes on me.”  
“Oh I’m clocking out here.”  
“That is not an option Phil.”  
“It ok Y/N. Just promise me, not now, but promise me that you will pick up the shield again, that you’ll pick up the mantel again.”  
His breathing started to halt, and I stood up when the medical team arrived. I leaned against the wall, falling to the floor with my knees up to my chest as the medical team called it. I let out a broken sob before I reached up, cutting my comm back on. I took a deep breath, closing my eyes.  
“Agent- agent Coulson is down.”  
“A medical team is on its way to your location.”  
I shook my head-  
“They’re already here. They’ve called it.”  
I watched as they placed his body on the gurney, placing a white cloth over him. They wheeled him away, and a medical agent came over to me but I waved them off. I steeled my resolve, getting up and making my way to Phil’s locker. I pulled out the trading cards he adored, going back to the room Loki’s cell was in. Phil’s blood was still smeared onto the wall from where he fell, and I walked over placing the cards on top it. I looked them over as I made my way to the main room. Tony and Steve were sitting at the table and Fury and Hill were standing around it. They all looked at me when I came over, throwing the cards onto the table.  
“These were in Phil’s jacket. I guess he never did get you to sign them.”  
The cards scattered, showing the blood that was on them.   
“There was an idea, Tony knows this, called the avengers initiative. The idea was to bring together a group of remarkable people, see if they could become something more. See if they could work together when we needed to, to fight the battles that we never could. Phil Coulson died still believing in that idea, in heroes.”  
Tony scoffed, standing up from his chair.  
“Well, it's an old fashioned notion.”  
He walked out, and I growled, rolling my eyes as I turned on my heel. Maria grabbed my arm, jerking me back.  
“Y/N, you have blood on your face.”  
I reached up, swiping my fingers across my face. I brought my hand back in front of me, seeing blood coating my finger tips.   
“So it seems.”  
I yanked my arm from Maria’s, turning on my heel. 

*Steve’s View*  
I picked up the card that was me from the forties. The agent who threw the cards down was the same agent who had spoke to Loki when we had brought him in. She had blood on her face, though it seemed she either didn’t care or she didn’t know it was there. She stormed off, when Hill grabbed her arm. She looked angry when she turned to face Hill, but calmed herself as she reached up to wipe her face, blood coming back on her fingers. She stared at it for a few seconds before she walked away.   
“Sir?”  
Fury turned to face me, placing an arm on a chair.  
“What can I do for you Rogers?”  
“That agent, she was the same who interviewed Loki but something seems familiar about her.”  
“What are you asking Rogers?”  
“Who is she?”  
Fury grinned, leaning on the chair.  
“That lady is not mine to tell about.”  
“Lady? Lady like Lady America?”  
Fury didn’t answer, instead turning to the helicarrier console. I threw the card down, pushing the chair back and jumping up. I followed down the hall where I saw the agent go down, hoping to find her.

*Fury’s View*  
Maria walked over to me, standing a few feet behind me.  
“Sir, those cards were in agent Coulson’s locker, not his jacket.  
“She believed they needed a push, and they did.”  
“She had his blood on her face.”  
“She saw him die. His last words, they were spoken to her. She saw the life leave his eyes, she heard him take his last breath, and she heard his heart stop. She’s going to take this hard.”  
“Sir- she’s not in the right state of mind, especially now. With him here, that alone threw her off her game, but now with Coulson’s death, she’s emotional, too emotional.”  
I turned on my heel, staring her down.  
“Agent Hill, she is a director, THE director. She is a superior to you and as such, you need to understand that it is not your place to call her out on her emotions, especially when she can take you.”  
“Yes sir.”  
“Your dismissed agent.”  
She nodded, turning on her heel and walking away. She was right to be worried about Y/N however. She has been emotional since Rogers has been here. And until she picks up the mantel again, things will never be the same.


	15. 2012 Part Seven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There’s another time jump, again! To recap, Tony has figured out what Loki’s big play is, and Steve has gone to collect Natasha and Clint. There will be a series of time jumps in this part, but I’ll let you know what I’ve skipped! Also this will be from a general view!

“They found it. Get our communication back up, whatever you have to do. I want eyes on everything.”  
“Yes sir.”   
Reaching up, Fury changed the comm link channel.  
“Lady they’ve found the cube. They’re on their way to Stark’s tower.”  
“I’ll be there.”  
“In your suit?”  
“I haven’t decided yet.”  
“Well decide quick. A jet is waiting to take you to the scene.”  
“Yes sir.”  
Fury rolled his eyes, the only times she’s ever called him “sir” is when she’s annoyed with him, which so far has been a total of three times.   
“Lose the snark Lady.”’  
“Can’t.”  
Fury grinned, shaking his head.  
“Suit up Lady.”

*Reader’s View*  
I walked into the room that held our suits. I placed my hand on the scanner, removing it when it turned green. The containment unit holding my suit lit up, the shield resting in the mannequins hands as though it was me holding it. 

“It’s not that you can’t, it’s that you believe that you can’t”

Reaching out, I entered the pin number, and the containment unit door spun open, the glass no longer blocking me from the suit. I reached out, running my fingers over the fabric. It was still the same design Howard had made all those years ago. Of course over the years we had added the updated kevlar, and Tony had put in some of his tech to reinforce it. I turned to make sure the door as closed, and when it was, I reached out, taking the suit of the mannequin. I changed into my suit, placing my clothes in the unit. I took the helmet, placing it on my head. I pulled my boots and the gloves on, feeling like I did when I first put the suit on all those years ago. I grabbed my shield, the end was still as sharp as ever, and I grabbed the comm, running out of room and towards the landing doc.   
“Lady before you go, I need you to stop by the bridge.”  
“Alright.”  
Making a turn, I spotted Fury and made a beeline for him. I could feel everyone’s eyes on me as I passed them, and Fury looked up when I came to a stop in front of him.  
“You needed to see me?”  
“I thought you may need this.”  
He pulled out something from his pocket, flipping it over and holding it out to me. I looked up at him, giving him a look.  
“How- where did-”  
“We found itt in some of the boxes that was left over from the SSR. It was in a glass box, and of course, it was a little worn, but we fixed what needed to be fixed. We kept the original stitching and fabric, I know how special this was to you.”  
I grabbed it, reaching it up and placing it over my eyes. The weight felt familiar, and I looked up at Fury.  
“Go join the fight. They’re comm channel is seven.”  
I nodded, turning on my heel.  
“Alright.”  
I ran back towards the landing doc, seeing the jet that would take me to the ground waiting. I got on, standing near the back. The jet landed, and the ramp doors opened. I walked down the ramp, seeing the aliens flying around.  
“Gentlemen, lady, there’s a new contender in the field.”  
“Friendly?”  
Fury snorted, and I shook my head, running down the street.  
“Hell yeah.”  
“So she finally decided to join the fight. How kind of her.”  
“I’d watch what you say Stark, she can hear you.”  
“You gave her a comm?!”  
“He sure did Tony. Remember, just because your in the suit doesn’t mean I can’t take you down.”  
“Ohhh threats from the-”  
“Watch it Stark.”  
Thank you Fury. I jumped up on top of a car, swinging my shield back and into the alien that was moving behind me. I saw a group of civilians huddled behind a car and I ran towards them, taking down any alien that was in my way. I came to a stop in front of them, holding my shield up.  
“You all need to follow me.”  
“It’s Lady America!”  
I pointed to an alleyway that leads to the subway.  
“Head that way, you need to stay underground until the authorities come for you.”  
“She’s back!”  
I ran beside the people, blocking the blasts. I turned at the last second, deflecting the hit from the alien. I turned my head, making sure they all got down safely.  
“Remember, stay underground! The authorities will come and find you when it’s safe!”  
I turned, lifting my shield and bringing it down on the aliens arm. The gun fell off as the alien fell backwards, unmoving. I grabbed the gun, holding it up as I fired at an alien that was running towards me. The alien fell, and when I went to check if it was still alive, I grinned when I saw it was dead. I ran to the point Fury said everyone else was at, and I ran up just as Steve was giving out orders.  
“Well, well, well, look at who decided to join us.”  
Everyone turned to look at me, and I saw the hesitation in Steve’s movement.  
“Yeah, yeah. Listen, you need to get your hands on their guns because this shit is powerful.”  
“Only you would see the alien weaponry as fun.”  
I grinned cheekily at Tony, turning to face Steve.  
“What’s the play Captain?”  
I watched as he stilled his resolve, turning towards the others.  
“Barton I want you on that roof, eyes on everything. Call out patterns and strays. Stark, you got the perimeter. Anything gets more than three blocks out, you turn it back or you turn it to ash.”  
“Wanna give me a lift?”  
Tony closed his mask, walking over to Clint.  
“Right, better clench up Legolas.”  
“Thor, you gotta try and bottleneck that portal, slow em’ down. You got the lightning, light the bastards up.”  
Thor nodded, swinging his hammer before he took off.”  
He turned towards Nat, keeping eye with her.  
“You and me, stay here on the ground, keep the fighting here. And Hulk!”  
Hulk turned, looking down at him.  
“Smash.”  
Hulk grinned, moving back and taking off, slapping a ship out of the air. I stepped forward, smiling at Steve.  
“And what of me Captain? What are my orders?”  
He spared me a quick glance before he started to walk away with Nat.  
“What difference does it make? You never listen to me, Major.”  
I grinned, nodding as I handed Nat the alien gun.   
“True.”  
I took off towards the bridge, jumping over the ledge and throwing a salute to Steve.

*Steve’s View*  
“She’s crazy.”  
Steve shook his head, following behind Natasha.  
“She’s always been reckless, if that’s truly her.”  
Natasha turned, firing the alien gun over my shoulder. I turned, watching as the alien fell to the ground.  
“It is her, really her.”  
“I was told she died. I have proof that she’s dead.”  
“Yeah, and what proof is that? A piece of paper that says she’s deceased? That’s not proof, that’s something that can be forged.”  
“I was told she was dead.”  
“People lie.”  
“Focus on what’s hand. I can worry about her, later.”  
“Sure thing, Captain.”

*Timeskip-Again!! Nat has jumped up onto the ship, Barton shot Loki out of the sky, Barton has been forced to leave the roof he was on, Tony played the tale of Jonah with the leviathan, and Fury is tried to stop the jet from taking off but failed.*  
“Stark you hear me? You have a missile headed straight for the city.”  
“How long?”  
“Three minutes, max. Stay load can wipe out midtown.”  
“Jarvis, put everything we got into the thrusters.”  
“I just did.”  
Tony flew u into the sky, turning for the nuke.  
“I can close it. Can anybody copy? I can shut the portal down!”  
Steve turned, holding his head down as he reached up on his comm.  
“Do it!”  
“No, wait.”  
“Stark, these things are still coming!”  
“I got a nuke coming in, it’s gonna blow in less than a minute. And I know just where to put it.”  
Lady America landed on top of a car near Steve and Thor, looking up at the sky.  
“Tones, that a one way trip.”  
“Save the rest for the turn J.”  
Tony flew by, causing Thor and Steve to look up as well. Tony moved at the last second, almost hitting the tower. He pushed it up into the portal, and Lady watched with a bated breath.   
“Come on Stark.”  
“Don’t do this Tones.”  
Steve looked over at Lady, seeing the anguish on her face.   
“Close it.”  
Lady turned towards Steve, unshed tears in her eyes.   
“Nat, no wait!”  
The portal started to close, and right before it closed, the gleamer of the Iron Man suit catching in the sunlight.  
“Son of gun!”  
“He’s not slowing down. Thor can you-”  
Thor started to swing his hammer when the Hulk grabs him, and slides down the side of a building before he crashes to the ground. He throws Tony down, and Lady America ran off the car, throwing her shield down as she slide down beside Tony’s head. She pulled the helmet off, leaning down to check his pulse.   
“His arc reactor isn’t glowing.”  
Hulk roared, beating his chest. Tony gasped for air, his eyes flickering everywhere.   
“What the hell? What just happened? Please tell me nobody kissed me.”  
Lady laughed, leaning back on her haunches. Steve looked at up the sky, letting out a rough breath.  
“We won.”  
“Alright, hey, alright. Good job guys. Let’s just not come in tomorrow. Let’s just take a day. You ever tried shawarma? There’s a shawarma joint about to blocks from here. I don’t know what it is, but I wanna try it.”  
“Did you just see this place?”  
“Sure did. Looked good, still standing.”  
“We’re not finished yet.”  
“And then shawarma after?”  
Lady laughed, taking Steve’s hand as he pulled her up. She kicked Tony’s suit, grinning when he shot her a look.  
“Come on old man. Let’s go get the big guy.”  
Tony got up, making a face when he saw his mask was on the ground.  
“You really had to rip it off? You knew where the release button was.  
“You weren’t responding. Don’t judge.”  
“Oh I’m judging, judging you silently now.”  
Lady laughed, shaking her head as Steve handed her her shield.   
“Thank you.”   
Loki was crawling towards the stairs, and he turned, grinning at everyone, even with weapons in his face.  
“If it’s all the same to you, I’ll have that drink now.” 

*Time skip again! This time it’s straight to the shawarma joint.*  
Everyone was sitting around the table, the owner of the store was behind the counter, sweeping up the debris. I had sat with them for a little bit, before the tv caught my attention. I got up, walking over and sitting at the bar, turning to look at the tv.   
“Despite the devastation of what ha been confirmed as an extraterrestrial attack, the extraordinary heroics of the group known as the Avengers-”  
The tv cut to some of the people, cutting the reporter off.  
“It’s really great knowing they’re out there, you know? That someone’s watching over us.  
“I love you Thor!”  
“I just don’t feel safe with those things out there.”  
“It seems like there’s a lot they’re not telling us.”  
“These so called heroes have to be held responsible for the destruction to the city, including Lady America. This was their fight. Where are they now?”  
“Though questions are being asked about the Avengers themselves, their sudden appearance and equally sudden disappearance. Some are even questioning the sudden reappearance of Lady America, and her longtime partner Captain America. Lady America disappeared two decades ago, leaving people to wonder where she has been. Her counterpart, Captain America went down in the ice seventy years ago. Are these people the same heroes from the forties, or are people making a mockery of their legacy?”  
“Idiots.”  
“What, that this is all somehow their fault? Captain America saved my life. Where he is, and wherever any of them are, I would just- I would wanna say thank you.”  
The tv was cut off, and I turned, seeing Steve with the remote. He moved to sit in the stool beside me, and I sighed, letting my arms drop.  
“Is it really you?”  
“Yeah, it is.”  
“They told me you were dead.”  
“Thanks to me.”  
“You told them to tell me you were dead?”  
“How about we talk about this later? Maybe when we’re not with other people and when we’re not as tired?”  
“Yeah, sure.”  
We were all waiting outside for the jet to land, and Nat came over to me.  
“Are you two going to talk?”  
“Its planned for later.”  
“And Lady America? What happens to her now? You said you’d never pick the shield back up, and yet here we are.”  
“And here we are.”  
“Well?”  
“Lady America was something I took on to help people, to win the war. For seventy years, I’ve done just that. Lady America is a mantle, one you have to be worthy of, and I just don’t think I’m worthy of it, not anymore.”  
The jet had landed a few shops up from the shawarma shop, and we all loaded into the jet, Tony leaving the shop owner a very nice size tip. We rode back to the helicarrier, and I was sitting across from Steve, staring at my shield lie it was a foreign object. I could feel his eyes on me, but I tried to ignore him. When the jet landed, I was the first person off the jet. I ran to where my clothes were, stripping out of the suit. I folded the suit, placing the suit in the back of the shield. I ran towards the bridge, spotting Fury. The rest of the “Avengers” were already in there, and I could feel their eyes on me.  
“Lady-”  
I shoved the shield into Fury’s hands, shaking my head.  
“This isn’t me. I’m not her. Take the shield, and put it somewhere where I won’t see it. I don’t want anything to do with it. It’s like I told you earlier, Lady America is dead.”  
I turned on my heel, walking past the others. Nat grabbed my arm, turning me to look at her.  
“You don’t mean that.”  
“Yeah, Natalia I do. I told you before the jet landed, that Lady America is a mantle you have to be worthy to carry, and I’m just not worthy enough to carry it, not anymore.”  
I yanked my arm free, walking down the hall. I jumped when an arm wrapped around me, the other holding my forearm. I turned, seeing Tony was walking beside me.  
“Come on, there’s still one more thing we have to do before Lady America can really quit.”  
“Can we just get it over with already? I want to go home.”  
“Sure mimms. And after you can stay at the tower, your room is still standing.”  
“Thank you Tones.”


	16. 2012 Part Eight

*Reader’s View*  
Tony had to make a pitstop to collect his suit. Seeing as he flew to the helicarrier in it, he flew us back down to the tower in it. I had went with him to the garage, and Tony had drove out one of his newer cars, and I laughed, shaking my head at him.   
“When are we leaving?”  
“Whenever Bruce gets here. Why, ready to see your knight in shining red white and blue?”  
I laughed, hitting his arm.   
“No, I just want to get this over with. It’s been a long couple of days.”  
“Say’s the one who spent most of those days avoiding the fight.”  
“I wasn’t avoiding it. It just wasn’t my time to make my appearance.”  
“An appearance as Lady America or as yourself?”  
“As Lady America. He never saw me as myself, the only time he ever saw me was when I was Lady America.”  
“And your going to show up without hiding your identity?”  
“I haven’t decided yet.”  
We both turned when the door opened, Dr. Banner walking in looking sheepish.  
“I’m not interrupting am I?”  
Tony grinned, clapping his hands together.  
“Of course not Brucie! We were just waiting for you.”  
“Are you sure?”  
I smiled, nodding at Dr. Banner.  
“Of course we’re sure. Tony was just trying to be right. He always has to right in any given situation, isn’t that right Tony?”  
I turned to face him, grinning at him as he started to sulk.  
“Come on, we have to see the brothers off and get Y/N to her man.”  
“He’s not my man Tony!”

*Timeskip to when everyone shows up to the central park bridge.*  
We had arrived the same time as the others did, and everyone walked to the center of the bridge. I was going to join them when I felt eyes on me. I looked up, seeing not only Steve’s eyes on me, but Loki’s as well. I decided to stay at the car, leaning against the hood as everyone else gathered together. While Dr. Selvig was taking something out of his car, Thor walked over to me, Loki trailing behind him.  
“Ah, Y/N I was wondering when we would have the time to speak to each other again.”  
I smiled, pushing off the car to stand in front of Thor.  
“It is good to see you again Thor, even if circumstances aren’t the best.”  
“I am sorry about that. The last time we saw each other I do believe I promised they would be under better circumstances.”  
“Don’t worry about it, we won didn’t we?”  
Thor smiled, nodding his head.  
“We did, in a glorious battle we won.”  
“And the next time?”  
“Next time we shall drink and feast!”  
I laughed, shaking my head. I looked up, seeing Tony and Dr. Selvig ready.  
“I believe they are waiting for you both.”  
Thor turned, seeing the others before he turned to face me.  
“So it seems. However, before we leave I must tell you something.”  
“Yes?”  
“Do not let your responsibility as Lady America ruin you. When I first met you, you were fighting yourself with your Lady America persona. I saw what it did to you then, and I, along with the others saw you give everything to Fury. You need to focus on yourself, before you focus on others.”  
“Thank you Thor.”  
He nodded, stepping forward and leaning dow, wrapping his arms around me. I laughed as he picked me up, and I returned his hug. He set me down,   
“We shall meet again little warrior.”   
“I know Thor.”  
He nodded, turning on his heel, pulling Loki behind him. When Thor got closer to Dr. Selvig, Thor smiled, shaking his hand as he said goodbye. Thor holds the cylinder that holds the tesseract in it towards Loki, and he grabs the other end of it. Thor nodded towards everyone, shooting me a smile as he twists the device. They lit up in blue, before they disappeared. Everyone started to disperse, and I watched as Nat handed Dr. Banner a duffel bag, and Tony and Steve walk towards me. They shake hands, and Tony smiles at me as they come closer.  
“I believe this is where I leave you mimms.”  
I smiled, shaking my head as I gave Tony a hug.  
“Don’t be a smart ass Tones, I can still ground you.”  
He laughed, turning to get into his car. Dr. Banner walked around the car, nodding his head to me and Steve. He got in the car, and I pushed off the car, tapping the hood of it.  
“Just because you grounded me when I was little don’t mean you can ground me now!”  
I laughed, moving out of the way as Tony sped off. I turned to face Steve, smiling at him.  
“Guess we need to have that talk now huh?”  
He nodded, placing his hands in his jacket pockets.  
“If we could, I mean, if you don’t mind. I have a lot of questions and-”  
I reached out, placing my hand on his arm.  
“It’s ok Steve. We can go do whatever, ok?”  
“Ok. Do you want to follow me or-?”  
I smiled sheepishly, seeing everyone else had left and he had drove his motorcycle.  
“Well, I kind rode over here with Tony and he kinda just, left me.”  
I shrugged, and Steve grinned, nodding towards his motorcycle.  
“Come on. You can ride with me.”  
“Are you sure?”  
He shrugged, turning on his heel.  
“What could it hurt? We’ve done it thousands of times before.”  
I shook my head, grinning as I followed behind him. He handed me a helmet, and I made a face, causing him to laugh.  
“Right, sorry, I forgot.”  
I laughed, throwing my leg over the seat.  
“Are you going to hold on or are you going to tear up my ride?”  
“Like I would be the one to tear it up in the first place. That’s all you’ve ever done is crash our rides.”  
He laughed, and I leaned forward, wrapping my arms around his waist. He turned his head at me, a distant look in his eyes before he turned around, starting the cycle. He lifted his legs, and we drove off. If there’s one thing I missed from back then, it would be this, riding with him and the wind in my hair.


	17. 2012 Part Nine

*Steve’s View*  
“Well. well, well, look at who decided to join us.”  
I had turned, seeing a woman dressed like Lady America. Her eyes ran over me, before she addressed us all.  
“Yea, yeah. Listen, you need to get your hands on their guns because this shit is powerful.”  
Stark lifted his mask, rolling his eyes as he shook his head.  
“Only you would see alien weaponry as fun.”  
She grinned, turning towards me.  
“What’s the play Captain?”  
I shook my head, turning towards the others.  
“Barton I want you on that roof, eyes on everything. Call out any patterns and strays. Stark, you got the perimeter. Anything gets more than three blocks out, you turn it back or you turn it to ash.”  
Clint and Tony started to talk, and I turned towards Thor.  
“Thor, you gotta try and bottleneck that portal, slow em’ down. You got the lightning, light the bastards up.”  
He nodded, taking a few steps back before he swung his hammer, lifting himself off the ground. I turned towards Natasha, nodding my head past her.  
“You and me, stay here on the ground, keep the fighting here. And Hulk!”  
I turned towards him, pointing at him.  
“Smash!”  
Hulk grinned, nodding once before he took off. The woman who was dressed up as Lady America stepped forward, smiling.  
“And what of me Captain? What are my orders?”  
I spared her a glance before I huffed, turning towards Natasha.  
“What difference does it make? You never listen to me, Major.”  
She grinned, walking towards us as she handed Natasha the alien gun she had.  
“True.”  
She took off towards the bridge, jumping over the ledge. She turned, grinning as she shot me a salute.  
Natasha watched her, before she turned back towards me, utter disbelief across her face.  
“She’s crazy.”  
I shook my head, running beside Natasha.  
“She’s always been reckless, if that’s truly her.”  
Natasha stopped, tuning to face me. She lifted the alien gun, firing it over my shoulder. I turned, watching as the alien fell to the ground. I turned back towards her, seeing her face set.  
“It is her, really her.”  
I shook my head, throwing my shield behind her, hitting the group of aliens that was coming.  
“I was told she died. I have proof that she’s dead.”  
“Yeah, and what proof is that? A piece of paper that says she’s deceased? That’s not proof, that’s something that can be forged.”  
“I was told she was dead.”  
“People lie.”  
I shook my head, growing agitated with each passing second.  
“Focus on what’s at hand. I can worry about her, later.”  
“Sure thing, Captain.”  
She turned on her heel, running to a car and jumping on top of it, firing the gun as she went. I shook my head, running after her.  
“Smart ass.”  
*Timeskip*  
I was explained that the comm link was an open channel to everyone who had one. So when Fury came on and said he had a missile that was headed straight for the city, we all heard it. We could hear his conversation with Jarvis, and then Nat came on, saying she could close it.  
“Do it!”  
“No, wait.”  
“Stark, these things are still coming!”  
“I got a nuke coming in, it’s gonna blow in less than a minute. And I know just where to put it.”  
I turned, jumping for a second when Lady America landed on the hood of a car, looking up at the sky.  
“Tones, that’s a one way trip.”  
“Save the rest for the turn J.”  
Stark flew by, causing me and Thor to look up. He disappeared into the portal, and I could tell that Lady America was holding her breath.  
“Come on Stark.”  
“Don’t do this Tones.”  
I looked over, seeing the anguish on her face as she stayed looking at the sky. I sighed, reaching up and pressing my comm link.  
“Close it.”  
Lady turned towards me, unshed tears in her eyes. She screamed into her comm link, but I knew it was to late.  
“Nat, no wait!”  
The portal started to close, and right before it closed, the gleamer of the Iron Man suit catching in the sunlight.  
“Son of gun!”  
I laughed to myself, and a Lady turned towards Thor.  
“He’s not slowing down. Thor can you-”  
Thor started to swing his hammer when the Hulk grabs him, and slides down the side of a building before he crashes to the ground. He threw Tony down, and Lady America ran off the car dust picking up when she ran in front of me and Thor. She threw her shield down as she slide down beside Tony’s head. She pulled the helmet off, leaning down to check his pulse.   
“His arc reactor isn’t glowing.”  
Hulk roared, beating his chest. Tony gasped for air, his eyes flickering everywhere.   
“What the hell? What just happened? Please tell me nobody kissed me.”  
Lady laughed, leaning back on her haunches. I looked at up the sky, letting out a rough breath.  
“We won.”  
Stark breathed at a laugh, nodding.  
“Alright, hey, alright. Good job guys. Let’s just not come in tomorrow. Let’s just take a day. You ever tried shawarma? There’s a shawarma joint about to blocks from here. I don’t know what it is, but I wanna try it.”  
Lady grinned, shaking her head slightly.  
“Did you just see this place?”  
Stark smiled, nodding a little.  
“Sure did. Looked good, still standing.”  
Thor cut off their conversation, looking towards the tower.  
“We’re not finished yet.”  
“And then shawarma after?”  
Lady laughed, and I got up, offering her a hand. She looked up at me, and she grabbed my hand, letting me pull her up. She stood beside me, kicking Tony’s suit, grinning when he shot her a look.  
“Come on old man. Let’s go get the big guy.”  
Tony got up, making a face when he saw his mask was on the ground. He turned towards Lady, giving her a look.  
“You really had to rip it off? You knew where the release button was.”  
Lady shrugged, giving Stark a look.  
“You weren’t responding. Don’t judge.”  
“Oh I’m judging, judging you silently now.”  
Lady laughed, shaking her head. I had turned, walking over to her shield. It was the same design as it was in the forties, the same markings on their as well. I picked it up, wiping the blood off it as I turned back towards her. I handed her her shield, and her eyes held a distant look as she looked up at me.  
“Thank you.”   
I nodded, turning on her heel to walk beside Stark. I sighed, letting my head fall. I jumped when Thor came up, resting his hand on my shoulder.  
“Come Captain, we may rest when Loki is caught.”  
I nodded, following after Thor and the others. I watched Lady and Stark, the two having a banter with each other. Stark shoved her a little, and she retaliated, hitting his arm before she shoved him back. Stark ended up falling, and Lady laughed as she pulled him up. This Lady didn’t seem like the Lady I once knew. This Lady seemed to be more carefree and opened, then being the cold hearted person I knew. When we all got to the tower, Loki was crawling towards the stairs, and he turned, grinning at everyone, even with weapons in his face.  
“If it’s all the same to you, I’ll have that drink now.” 

*Time skip again! This time it’s straight to the shawarma joint.*  
We had all agreed to go the the shawarma place Stark had found, much to his enjoyment. We were all sitting around the table, the owner of the store was behind the counter, sweeping up the debris. Lady had sat with us for a little bit, before she got up, walking over and sitting at the bar, turning to look at the tv. I looked up too, seeing the news reporter in a split screen showing the damage done to New York before it switched to the coverage.  
“Despite the devastation of what ha been confirmed as an extraterrestrial attack, the extraordinary heroics of the group known as the Avengers-”  
The tv cut to some of the people, cutting the reporter off.  
“It’s really great knowing they’re out there, you know? That someone’s watching over us.  
“I love you Thor!”  
“I just don’t feel safe with those things out there.”  
“It seems like there’s a lot they’re not telling us.”  
“These so called heroes have to be held responsible for the destruction to the city, including Lady America. This was their fight. Where are they now?”  
“Though questions are being asked about the Avengers themselves, their sudden appearance and equally sudden disappearance. Some are even questioning the sudden reappearance of Lady America, and her longtime partner Captain America. Lady America disappeared two decades ago, leaving people to wonder where she has been. Her counterpart, Captain America went down in the ice seventy years ago. Are these people the same heroes from the forties, or are people making a mockery of their legacy?”  
Lady shook her head muttering to herself.  
“Idiots.”  
“What, that this is all somehow their fault? Captain America saved my life. Where he is, and wherever any of them are, I would just- I would wanna say thank you.”  
I got up, grabbing the remote and cutting the tv off. If there’s one thing none of need right now, it’s to focus on the damage we had a part to play in. Lady turned, and she seemed to literally deflate as I sat in the stool beside her.   
“Is it really you?”  
She nodded, and it seemed to sink in to her that this was really happening, no matter how much she tried to avoid it. She refused to look at me, and it felt like a was reprimanding her.  
“Yeah, it is.”  
“They told me you were dead.”  
“Thanks to me.”  
I was shocked. We were friends, we had history together and she told them to tell me she was dead?  
“You told them to tell me you were dead?”  
She finally turned to look at me, and I could see the despair in her eyes.  
“How about we talk about this later? Maybe when we’re not with other people and when we’re not as tired?”  
I nodded, understanding she was trying to avoid it. But also looking out for us, or maybe just herself.  
“Yeah, sure.”  
I returned to the table, helping the others clean up. When we were done, we all waited outside for the jet Stark had said Fury was sending to pick us up. I was waiting in the back, to the side of where Lady was standing. I looked up when Natasha walked by in front of me, stopping beside Lady. I was close enough to them where I could hear their conversation, without them knowing I was listening.  
“Are you two going to talk?”  
“Its planned for later.”  
I heard Natasha sigh, crossing her arms over her chest.  
“And Lady America? What happens to her now? You said you’d never pick the shield back up, and yet here we are.”  
Why would she never pick up the shield? Why did she put it down in the first place? I had so many questions but I had a feeling none of them would be answered.  
“And here we are.”  
“Well?”  
“Lady America was something I took on to help people, to win the war. For seventy years, I’ve done just that. Lady America is a mantle, one you have to be worthy of, and I just don’t think I’m worthy of it, not anymore.”  
Her thoughts on Lady America has changed so much. When we first met, she held hope in her eyes, and a fierceness behind them. She looked like she was about to say something else, when the jet landed a few shops up from the shawarma shop. We all moved towards the jet, and Stark turned, heading back into the shop. He came back a few minutes later, and once he was seated we took off. I sat across from Lady, and I just watched her. She was holding her shield, that distant look in her eyes back. When the jet landed, she was the first off, running down the ramp and out of sight. I turned towards Natasha, nodding my head towards where she ran.  
“What was that all about?”  
She sighed, collecting her things as Barton waited for her.  
“It’s not my place to say, I’m sorry.”  
I nodded, following behind them as we went back into the helicarrier. We stopped at the bridge, and we waited for Lady to come back. All of a sudden, a flash of black passed us, thundering steps following it. I looked up, seeing Lady walking towards Fury, her shield upside down with her uniform in it. Fury looked up at her before she stopped in front of him.  
“Lady-”  
She shoved the shield into Fury’s hands, shaking her head. She was speaking loud enough, although it could’ve just been that everyone had stopped what they were doing, watching her and Fury.  
“This isn’t me. I’m not her. Take the shield, and put it somewhere where I won’t see it. I don’t want anything to do with it. It’s like I told you earlier, Lady America is dead.”  
She turned on her heel, walking past the us. Natasha grabbed her arm, turning her to look at her.  
Natasha shook her head, staring her down.  
“You don’t mean that.”  
Lady nodded, her face set.  
“Yeah, Natalia I do. I told you before the jet landed, that Lady America is a mantle you have to be worthy to carry, and I’m just not worthy enough to carry it, not anymore.”  
She yanked her arm free, walking down the hall. Stark shook his head, sighing as he pushed his glasses up his face, turning to Fury when he walked over to us.  
“I told you. I told you that if you pushed her, you’d lose her. And what did you do? You pushed her and now you’ve lost her. She won’t come back, I know she won’t. And I won’t let her come back until she’s ready, not when you want her to.”  
Stark turned on his heel, following after Lady. I wanted to say something, follow Lady, anything but I didn’t. I stayed, leaning against the wall as Fury seemed to collect himself.  
“The council will want to know where you all are. They’ll want to either tag you and watch over you, or they’ll want to put you behind bars. Don’t tell me what your doing, or where you're going. I don’t want to be held liable for you. Loki will be going back with his brother, Thor. He will face Asgardian justice, which I’m assured he will suffer for what he has done to New York. There’s not much else to say except thank you.”  
Fury nodded at us before he left, walking back to the control panels.   
“Come on, we can get you both off the helicarrier and return you to your homes.”  
I nodded, following behind everyone.

*Timeskip again!*  
We had decided to meet at a bridge not far from the city. We all arrived at the same time, and I saw her arrive with Stark and Dr. Banner. She looked up, catching my eyes before she turned her gaze towards Thor and Loki. She shook her head, leaning against the hood of the car. Thor had walked over to her, pulling Loki behind him. They started to talk, and I wished I had Lady’s super hearing. Thor leaned down, picking her up and giving her a hug. She laughed, and I felt something I’ve never felt before. Thor had stopped in front of Dr. Selvig, shaking his hand and taking the device from him. Stark and Dr. Banner placed the tesseract in it, and Thor nodded to them both. He pulled Loki away from everyone, turning towards Loki. He lifted the device, and Loki grabbed. Thor nodded to us all, his gaze landing on Lady. He shot her a smile before he twisted the device, the two disappearing in a blue light. Natasha had walked over to a suv, taking out a bag and handing it to Dr. Banner as Clint got in the driver's seat. Stark had came up to me, thanking me for my help. We shook hands, coming to a stop in front of Lady. Tony smiled at Lady, stepping closer to her.  
“I believe this is where I leave you mimms.”  
Lady smiled, shaking her head as she gave Stark a hug.  
“Don’t be a smart ass Tones, I can still ground you.”  
Stark laughed, turning to get into his car. Dr. Banner walked around the car, nodding his head to me and Lady. He got in the car, and Lady pushed off the car, tapping the hood of it.  
“Just because you grounded me when I was little don’t mean you can ground me now!”  
Lady laughed, moving out of the way as Stark sped off. Lady turned to face me, smiling at me.  
“Guess we need to have that talk now huh?”  
I nodded, shoving my hands in my jacket pockets.  
“If we could, I mean, if you don’t mind. I have a lot of questions and-”  
Lady reached out, placing her hand on my arm.  
“It’s ok Steve. We can go do whatever, ok?”  
“Ok. Do you want to follow me or-?”  
Lady smiled sheepishly, looking around before her gaze landed back on me.   
“Well, I kind rode over here with Tony and he kinda just, left me.”  
She shrugged, and I grinned, nodding towards my motorcycle.  
“Come on. You can ride with me.”  
“Are you sure?”  
I shrugged, turning on my heel.  
“What could it hurt? We’ve done it thousands of times before.”  
I held out a helmet towards her, and Lady made a face, causing me to laugh.  
“Right, sorry, I forgot.”  
Lady laughed, throwing her leg over the seat. I turned my head a little, glancing back at her.  
“Are you going to hold on or are you going to tear up my ride?”  
“Like I would be the one to tear it up in the first place. That’s all you’ve ever done is crash our rides.”  
I laughed, and I felt her lean forward, wrapping her arms around my waist. I turned around when I noticed she was looking at me, starting the cycle. I lifted my legs, and we drove off. I’ve missed a lot of things since I woke up, but if there’s one thing I missed from back then it was this. Whenever we had somewhere to be, we would take my motorcycle. She would hold onto me, sometimes resting her head on my back as I drove.


	18. 2012 Part Ten

We had drove until we came to an apartment building. Looking up, I recognized the building as the building Shield secretly owned, where they had placed Steve.  
“This is your apartment right?”  
“Yeah, this is ok right? I’m sorry, I just thought we could talk somewhere private and this place just came to mind and-”  
I placed my hand on his shoulder, cutting him off.  
“No, you have the right idea about somewhere private it's just, you need to move out of this apartment and not tell anyone at Shield.”  
He turned to face me more, concern on his face.  
“Why?”  
“Because your apartment building is secretly owned by Shield.”  
“And? I don't see why that warrants me-”  
“They have your apartment bugged. I know because I told them to bug it.”  
“You what? Why would you-”  
“It was for your protection. We weren’t sure how you would react when you came out of the ice and we, I just wanted to make sure you ok. I told them they could stop listening in, but they didn’t listen and they’ve been using it for their own purposes.”  
“And you don’t want them to know what we talk about?”  
I shook my head, turning my head so I could look at him better.  
“If you trust me enough, I can drive us to my place.”  
He snorted, turning around completely to look at me.  
“You want to drive my motorcycle?”  
I shrugged, giving him a sly grin.  
“It wouldn’t be first time now would it?”  
He shrugged, kicking the stand and tapping my hands. I released him, watching from the corner of my eyes as he got up, nodding his head a little. I got the message, sliding up the seat and grabbing the handle bars. The bike moved as Steve got on, and I turned around, grinning at him.  
“Are you going to hold on or are you going to tear up your ride?”  
He smiled, shaking his head as he wrapped his arms around my waist.  
“Using my own words against me.”  
I grinned, turning around and kicking the stand up, driving off. Steve said nothing, and I didn’t feel the need to say anything either. I made the usual turns, taking the backroads when I saw the familiar driveway, turning and driving down the curvey gravel road.I parked beside my challenger, letting Steve get off first before I got off. I handed him the keys, letting him follow behind me as I walked up the stairs and unlocked the door. I turned, seeing Steve was still standing there, staring off.  
“Well, are you coming in or not?”  
He shook his head, walking up the sidewalk and up the stairs. I moved out of the way, letting him walk through first. I sighed, walking in behind him and letting the door close softly behind me. I walked into the kitchen, telling Steve he could sit down wherever and if he wanted anything to drink. He said no, sitting at the bar as I pulled out a water bottle and set it on the bar.  
“So, where do you want to start?”  
“I don’t know where to start. I mean, I received a file that said you were dead and then you just came out of nowhere and it seemed like everyone else knew who you were, especially Howard’s son.”  
I nodded, sitting across from him.  
“I’ve met everyone else before, even went on a few missions with some, or I helped establish their position in Shield. They’re my friends, and Tony is, well he’s family.”  
“What happened to Howard?”  
“Howard found someone that made him happy, a nice woman named Maria. She was the only other person other than me and Peg that could keep him under control. She was a lovely woman, and Howard adored her. They got married and they later had a little boy, Anthony Edward Stark. It was when Tony was twenty-one and was home for christmas break when Howard and Maria got in a car accident.”  
“They didn’t make it?”  
I shook my head, ignoring the look he was giving me.  
“No, they didn't. They died on impact. When we were able to get their bodies back to the states, we held a funeral for them both, and Tony took over Howards business.”  
“You said you were, that Tony is family I don’t-”  
“Howard and Maria chose me to be Tony’s godmother. And since then, I’ve been helping Tony, just like I helped Howard.”  
“They found me in the Arctic. Did y’all not look for me?”  
I shot him a look, anger taking over.  
“Of course we looked for you! Howard and me, we both looked for the crash site for months! Howard was ready to give up, he did give up because we never could find you, even with Howards tech, we couldn’t find you all because you were stubborn and didn’t want to give us your coordinates. Had you given us your coordinates we would have been able to find you but no, you had to go off and be the hero! Of course we looked for you!”  
He looked like he was about to say something when my phone rang, and I got up, shaking my head as I answered the phone.  
“Hello?”  
“Hi is this miss Y/L/N?”  
“Yes it is, who is this?”  
“My name is Lilly, I’m one of the nurses that works with Peggy-”  
“Is she ok?”  
“Peggy took a fall earlier today and you’re the only person listed on her contacts and we’ve been trying to reach you all day-”  
“Is she ok?”  
“Peggy suffered a few injuries from her fall, so far it’s nothing serious, but we just wanted to let you know and-”  
“I’m on my way.”  
“Miss, you don’t have to come up we were just-”  
“I don’t care, she is my family and I will be coming to check on her.”  
“Alright we’ll see you in a few hours then.”  
“I should be there around six.”  
“Alright, we’ll see you then.”  
“See you then.”  
I sighed, hanging up the phone as I pulled my cell out.  
“Is everything ok?”  
I shot a glance at Steve when he picked up.  
“What happened?”  
“I have Steve at my house, I need you, and you alone to come and stay with him until I get back.”  
“Get back from where?”  
“She took a fall and they’ve been trying to get ahold of me all day but-”  
“Because of New York you weren’t there to take their call.”  
“Right.”  
“Is she ok?”  
“They said she suffered a few injuries but nothing serious but I need to see for myself.”  
“Alright, I’ll be over in five, you’re lucky I’m near you.”  
I laughed, thanking Nick as I hung up. I sighed, turning on my heel and walking into the living room, grabbing my Shield duffel bag. I walked up the stairs, turning down the hall and into my room. I could hear Steve get up, and the sound of the engine shutting off outside. I heard the front door open, and I tossed a few clothes and personal items in the bag before I ran down the stairs, seeing Steve glaring at Nick.  
“Thank you for coming, I didn’t know who else to call.”  
“It’s fine, it’s about time you called in one of your many favors.”  
I laughed, shaking my head.  
“Yeah right, this so does not count as me cashing in a favor.”  
I turned towards Steve, seeing confusion, anger, and worry written on his face.  
“I know you wanted to have that talk but a close friend of mine is in the hospital and I’m her emergency contact so I need to go.”  
“Is she ok? I can come with if-”  
“No it’s ok, I shouldn’t be gone long so Nick is going to stay with you here or you can go back to your place.”  
“Hey! You said I had to stay here and babysit-”  
I shot Nick a look, walking over to him and flicking him on the arm as I grabbed my keys.  
“I did not! I just asked you to come by because I know for a fact that he doesn’t know how to get back to the city from here.”  
Steve snorted, and I turned, shooting him a look before I turned back towards Nick.  
“If I plan on staying longer, I’ll call you before it gets to late.”  
“Alright, try not to break any laws this go round.”  
I rolled my eyes, walking towards the door as I opened it.  
“Shut up!”  
I could hear them both laughing as I closed the door, running towards my car and throwing the duffel bag in the backseat. I got in, opening the compartment and looking for my Shield i.d. It wasn’t in there and I groaned, getting up and going back in the house, running past Nick and Steve and up the stairs.  
“Forget something?”  
I ignored his snicker, going towards my nightstand and opening the drawer, flipping through the stuff I had in there.  
“Where the hell is it?”  
I went back downstairs, ignoring their watchful eyes as I went into the living room, flipping over the table I had in the middle of the room.  
“Watcha looking for?”I pulled the velcro strap off, my gun and badge falling down. I grabbed them both, placing the gun in the waistband of my pants, twirling the badge between my fingers as I turned to face them.  
“This, if for some reason I do break some laws, this’ll get me out of them.”  
I walked back towards the door, stopping when Nick called out to me.  
“You can’t use that everytime!”  
“No, but I can still get rid of them.”  
He laughed, and I shut the door, running back to my car and placing the badge in the cupholder, placing the keys in the ignition and backing out. It would take me at least three hours driving, four tops depending on traffic. Hopefully in that time Nick and Steve won’t kill each other.


	19. 2012 Part Eleven

Parking the car, I grabbed my badge and duffel, placing my badge in my back pocket as I grabbed my keys, shutting the car door. I walked into the facility, walking down the familiar halls, stopping at the nurses station outside her room. The nurse looked up at me, smiling.  
“Y/N, it’s so good to see you again! Is she expecting you?”  
I shook my head, adjusting the strap to my duffle as I smiled at her.  
“No, at least, I don’t think so. A nurse called me earlier saying that Peggy had fell earlier and had a few injures as a result and I just wanted to check on her and more than likely spend the night.”  
The nurse nodded, grabbing Peggy’s file from the corner of the desk, looking it over before she looked back up at me.  
“It seems that when she fell, she landed on her wrist and fractured it.”  
“Is she okay?”  
She nodded, smiling up at me.  
“She’s been talkative all day, even when she fell.”  
I smiled, nodding.  
“Thank you for taking care of her.”  
Her smile grew as she turning, taking the clipboard from the nurse who had came up beside her.  
“Oh of course. Peggy is my favorite!”  
I thanked her once more before I turned, knocking on Peggy’s open door.  
“Y/N?”  
I gasped, looking over at the recliner where Peggy was sitting, a soft smile on her face.   
“Peg?”  
Her smile grew as she lifted her arms, beckoning me towards her. I dropped my duffel into the chair by the door, walking towards Peggy and hugging her.  
“You know who I am Peg.”  
“Of course I do! You’re my best friend, pain in the ass you are, but you are my best friend.”  
I laughed, willing the tears away as she wrapped her arms around me.  
“You know who I am?”  
I leaned back, looking down at her.  
“Honest?”  
She made a face, slightly shaking her head.  
“You’re speaking like a bloody fool Y/N. Why would I know who you are?”  
I shook my head, sighing.  
“Peg you have alzheimer’s. This is- you haven’t been lucid in so long.”  
She made a face, grabbing my hand and squeezing it, offering me a soft smile.  
“Then catch me up. Tell me everything I’ve missed. Starting with you.”  
I laughed, shaking my head.  
“Well-”  
⍟⎊⧗✇ϟ✪✵⍟⎊⧗✇ϟ✪✵⍟⎊⧗✇ϟ✪✵  
“Are you telling me that you’ve been in the same room with him and you haven’t said a single thing to him?!”  
“Peg that’s not what I-”  
“You said that you’ve only spoken to him about the mission, nothing more.”  
She shook her head, looking over at me.   
“He’s your friend N/N, you need to talk to him.”  
“You mean he’s your friend. He’s not my friend, he never was.”  
Peggy made a face, tilting her head to the side.  
“What are you talking about? You both were friends. You ARE friends.”  
“No we’re not Peggy. He- Rogers only talked to me when I was in uniform. Did you know that he doesn’t even know my name? He knows me as Lady America, not, not me. He never even asked me for it, he never tried to learn my name.”  
I shook my head, scoffing as I looked down at the floor.   
“Hell, when I wasn’t in uniform I couldn’t even get him to look at me. Do you remember that one night, we were forced to stay in a small little town after we had taken out a hydra base due to the weather and we all had decided to go out to the small pub they had and we had all dressed up. It wasn’t often we got to let loose but when we did, we went out. You had helped me do my hair and makeup. You curled it, and pinned back a few pieces. You didn’t really put a lot of makeup on, you said that “I didn’t need to wear makeup to look beautiful, I already was” You lent me one of your dresses and a pair of heels because I didn’t have any.”  
I looked over at Peggy, slightly shaking my head.  
“I wore combat boots, everyday. I didn’t have any fancy clothes, not any that were really mine anyway. That night you made me feel like a princess that night, dolling me up the way you did. Do you know what happened after we had ordered our drinks and Howard had dragged you off?”  
Peggy shook her head, her eyebrows furrowed, no doubt trying to recall that night.  
“I went up to him and Bucky, I tried talking to them but I was ignored. And then, after he ignored me, he had turned and asked me to get him a refill on their drinks. He thought I was the barmaid Peg. He had no idea who I was. Then when we had all turned in for the night, he believed I was trying to break into my room, just because I wasn’t in uniform.”  
I huffed out a laugh, making a face.  
“He never spoke to me out of uniform and when he did, he talked down to me, thinking I didn’t belong where I was. Me and Rogers? We were never friends. We never WILL be friends.”  
Peggy huffed, shaking her head.  
“You’re a bloody idiot.”  
I gasped, making a face.  
“Excuse you?”  
“You heard me. You’re a bloody idiot. “Me and Rogers? We were never friends and we will never be friends” What kind of bull is that? You say Steve never spoke to you, but did you ever speak to him? Did you ever try to tell him who you were? Did you ever try to speak to HIM out of uniform? You’re a smart girl Y/N, if you wanted him to know who you are, you would’ve told him. Don’t make it out like it was all his fault, you had some help in it.”  
I huffed, glaring at her as I picked up my drink.  
“He was different with you, with the others. He never treated me the way he treated all of you.”  
“You treated him different as well. Get off your high horse. Go and talk to him. You’re smart Y/N, the third smartest person I know.”  
I grinned, shaking my head.  
“Only third?”  
She laughed, adjusting the blanket that covered her lap.  
“Yes third. Howard and Tony are smarter than you.”  
“I’ll take it, but don’t tell Tony that.”  
She laughed, nodding.  
“Deal. But like I was saying, you’re smart, but sometimes you can be a real idiot. Go and talk to him.”  
I shook my head, sighing.  
“I can’t leave you Peg, not now.”  
“And why not? I’ll still be here.”  
I smiled slightly, shaking my head.  
“No you won’t. Do you know how long it’s been since we’ve been able to talk like this? To be able to spend the day laughing and gossiping? Years. It’s been years since I’ve been able to talk to you and have you recognize me. To be able to give input and actually talk to me. So no, I can’t leave because you won’t still be here but Rogers will. So I’m staying here with you, until the nurses kick me out.”  
“Steve?”  
I looked over at Peggy, feeling my heart drop.  
“Steve’s alive?”  
I nodded, getting up from the chair I was sitting on, moving to sit on the edge of her bed, taking her hand in mine.  
“Yeah, Steve’s alive. We found him. He’s alive.”  
“He’s alive?”  
I nodded, smiling softly.  
“He’s alive. Would you like to see him? I can go get him.”  
She nodded, letting my hands go. I sighed, standing up.  
“I’ll be back in a few hours.”  
I leaned down, kissing her forehead before I turned, grabbing my duffel. I told her goodbye, closing her door. There was no nurse at the desk, and I walked down the hall to the other desk, seeing the night nurse there. I smiled at her as I walked up, leaning against the desk.  
“Y/N, how can I help you? Is Peggy alright?”  
I nodded, sighing softly.  
“Yeah, everythings fine. I was going to stay the night but she asked to see an old friend so I told her I’d go and get him. I don’t actually know what time we’ll get her but will you be the one working all night? I wanted to call before I brought him here if it was too late just to check in on Peg.”  
She smiled, nodding.  
“Of course. You’ve still got my number?”  
I nodded, standing to my full height.  
“Of course. More than likely we’ll come by early in the morning but I’ll call when we get back in town.”  
“I’ll be here all night. If I don’t pick up just shoot me text.”  
I nodded, thanking her when my phone dinged.  
“I’ll see you in the morning.”  
She smiled, waving as she nodded.  
“I’ll be here!”  
I waved as I walked off, saying goodbye to the receptionist as I passed, walking towards my car. I threw my duffel in the backseat, pulling my phone from my pocket, making a face.  
“What the hell?!”

**Author's Note:**

> I started a rewrite of this series on tumblr but I figured I'd just stick with the original series on here. But if you'd like the rewrite to be posted just let me know!


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